The winners of the coveted cornucopia award at the 2012 Chili Cook-Off Contest at St. John’s Catholic Church on Saturday, March 24 were Grand Portage National Monument staff. (L-R) Bill Clayton, Bill’s daughter, Lilly, Brandon Seitz, Steve Veit, Deb Veit. (Not pictured: Jessica Barr) Their winning chili was “Slackjaw’s Hillbilly Chili.”
The 3rd annual Cook County Chili Cook-Off Championship in the fellowship hall of St. John’s Catholic Church was the place to be on Saturday, March 24, with the tantalizing fragrance and flavors of 12 different pots of chili to try.
It had to have been extremely difficult for the judges—Mark Falk, Butch Deschampe, Kristi Kroneman and Ed Douglass— to pick a winner from the delicious and decidedly different chili offerings.
There was everything from a down home Texas recipe made by John Ceryes of the Grand Marais Lions Club to a charcoal-grilled mesquite chili made by Pastor Dave Harvey.
There were a number of chilis with chocolate as a “secret” ingredient. There was a hint or more in the “It’s a mad, mad, mad chili” made by Mark D. Consulting and Queen Esther’s Women of Faith (Nancy Backlund and Gayle Harvey). And Chelsea Lueck of Gunflint Mercantile had not only chocolate in her “Chocolate Stout Chili,” she offered cayenne pepper fudge on the side.
Trevor Delamater stirs the unique chili entered by Mark D. Consulting. The “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Chili” included several types of chili peppers and a hint of chocolate.
The Stone Harbor “gasstronomers” offered a somewhat spicy chili with fresh green onion and cilantro on the side. My Sister’s Place restaurant offered the hearty chili diners have come to love, loaded with green peppers. Blue Water Café also shared its house chili, with its tangy barbecue flavor. Another eatery, Bluefin Grille, entered a rich beefy chili enjoyed by all.
Perhaps the most unusual dish of the day was the “No Leftovers” entry of Monica Webster, made with venison and bison donated by hunter Max Hinkle. In addition to the wild meats, Monica jazzed up her entry with mangos and lime slices on the side.
The chili that won the “People’s Choice” award was made by John Henneman, Gary Nesgoda Jr., and Matt Conlin of the Grand Marais Fire Department. As John Henneman served up the tasty chili, along with focaccia bread freshly made by Gary Nesgoda, he explained that their entry was a “Mutual Aid” chili, replicating chili made in firehouses of long ago when firefighters staying at the fire hall for several days would bring a pot of chili to share. The chilis would be mixed together for a delightful concoction, similar to the version that garnered the People’s Choice Award.
The winners of the “People’s Choice Award” was the Grand Marais Fire Department, with its “Mutual Aid” chili cooked up by John Hennemen, pictured with his son, Boston, and Gary Nesgoda. (Not pictured, Matt Conlin).
The winner of the day was “Slackjaw’s Hillbilly Chili,” a zesty chili made by staff at the Grand Portage National Monument—Bill Clayton, his daughter Lilly, Brandon Seitz, Steve Veit, Deb Veit, and Jessica Barr.
Proceeds of the Chili Cook- Off will be divided between the Cook County Food Shelf and the students in the Evangelical Free Church youth group, The Table.
Chili contest T-shirt models! In addition to showing off the colorful chili contest T-shirts, Sarah Fagerman and Bekah Laky collected money and made sure that diners filled out cards to nominate the “People’s Choice” chili at the Saturday, March 24 chili feed.
Monica Webster’s “No Leftovers” chili featured venison and buffalo. Max Hinkle insisted he shouldn’t have his picture taken because he didn’t help prepare the delicious chili. However, he provided the buffalo meat from a hunting expedition out west.
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