From L to R: Jeanine Faria, Fred Faria, Fred Nielsen, Pat Nielsen, Rick Clawson
A cold, windy, dark winter evening was made considerably warmer by the competitors in the HDPCA Annual Chili Cook-off. Over 40 members sampled and rated 12 different chili recipes to determine this year's winners. The Carrera Motors dealership, in the midst of the change to a new owner, graciously allowed our club to meet in the Porsche new car showroom. Unfortunately for them the smell of chili will powerfully overwhelm the "new car" smell for a while!
| The winners (from L to R): Richard Farnham, Andi Heyward, Helen Riser and Roger Sanders |
There are 3 categories for awards: best spicy chili, best vegetarian chili, and best chili overall. As expected, Roger Sanders won again for best vegetarian chili, of course, he was the ONLY entrant. I encourage you to whip out some vegetarian chili recipes for next year! No more winning by default, he needs to fight for the trophy. Richard Farnham had the best spicy chili, he has obviously got skills with peppers as he has won this category before. He also received numerous votes for the best overall category. We had a first this year for best chili overall... a tie. Andi Heyward and Helen Riser both won this award for two outstanding chili dishes. These winners did not prevail by a large margin, all of the entries received many votes, an indication of the quality of all the entries and the talents of the chefs who made them.
Judging each chili is serious work. I want to thank the Federspiel's and the Hirschberg's for bringing food, even though they were unable to attend. Furthermore, to all the members who helped with the set-up and breakdown of the chairs and tables, thank you, I could not do this event alone. Finally, I want to thank all of the attendees, you are the ones who bring the food and make this event fun every year. - Lisa Sarmiento
| Socializing in the Porsche show room. |