Cookoff Attracts Hundreds of Chili Lovers to Park Square

Some was made using long-cherished family recipes. Others came from recent experimentation in the kitchen.

The result was a potpourri of tastes for the hundreds of residents attending the sixth annual FishHawk Chili Cookoff Saturday, Jan. 28.

Eighteen teams made up of past chili champions and novice competitors vied for the title of best chili chef during this year's event.

Among the newcomers to the FishHawk Chili Cookoff was On the Move, a new ministry in FishHawk Ranch led by the Rev. Kody Kirchhoff. On the Move used Lynn Richards' tried-and-true recipe that incorporated brown sugar, molasses and bacon.

"The molasses and brown sugar gives the chili an entirely different flavor," said Richards. "We decided to try it for the chili cookoff to see if other people like it as much as we do."

They did.

On the Move took second place in the People's Choice category.

"Our wives really liked that chili a lot," said chili taster Brian Grustin, accompanied by friends Ian Levine and John Moser IV. But the three men preferred the recipe offered by the team, Two Men N' Chili, aka John Cooper and Albert Hersh.

"It's sweet, too, but not as sweet," said Grustin, who makes chili at home at least once a month. "Plus there was chicken in it. I thought that was unusual.

The judges agreed, awarding Two Men N' Chili first place in the judges' category.

"I really liked it," said judge Jackie Garvin, food blogger and author of the Syrup and Biscuits column that appears on Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch each Saturday. "It had good texutre, a balance of flavor and both beef and chicken, something I never saw before."

Overall, the judges said they were impressed with the flavor and variety of chili they tasted.

"A couple were really sweet, not what you expect from chili," said Garvin. "I thought several were very good."

Judge Brian Aponte from the West Tampa Sandwich Shop agreed.

"I was amazed at the variety of chili. These people put a lot of time and effort into this," he said. "I met a guy from Boston, another from New Orleans and another from Texas. Each brought flavors from their part of the country to their chili."

Aponte said he's partial to the spicier chili but agreed that the chili made by Two Men N' Chili rated at the top of his favorites

Fellow judge Juanita Smith, group coordinator of the FishHawk Home Chefs, said she looked for chili that had a unique taste and Two Men N' Chili fit the criteria.

"It was interesting to see the variety," she said. "Some had beans. Others had no beans. Some had a smokey flavor and others were spicy. And there were a couple that were totally out of the box. Overall, I think the contestants did a great job."

The first place in the People's Choice category was also a winner last year.

Michael and Tammy Broussard said the secret to their traditional chili recipe is red chili powder from Tammy Broussard's hometown of Hatch, N.M.

Third place in for the People's Choice award went to last year's winner, the Longhorn Chili Co.

"It's Texas chili, no beans," explained chef Casey McComb. "We used 14 pounds of smoked bottom sirloin and 10 pounds of ground beef with a homemade chili paste."

Nearby, Kathleen McMillan of the Hess Orthodontics team dished up samples of her recipe that included three chili powders, cocoa, cloves, nutmeg and allspice.

"This is actually two recipes I put together, one a Texas chili recipe and the other a Medieval recipe. It has a unique flavor," she said.

Colin Mailloux and Zak Hanano incorporated three kinds of dried beans with a sweet onion base to create their chili.

"This was our first time doing this," said Mailloux. "I've been here before as a taster and, since I like to cook, I decided to enter this year. It was fun."

Also first-time contenders, Charlie and Janice Hufstetler doled out samples of a secret family recipe.

"We read about this in the paper and just signed up to participate at the last minute," said Charlie Hufstetler. "I thought it'd be fun to try."

People's Choice:

1st place -- Michael and Tammy Broussard

2nd place -- On the Move

3rd place -- Longhorn Chili Co.

Judge's Awards:

1st place -- Two Men N' Chili

2nd place -- Philip Unruh, Julie Siefert and Ted Eatman

3rd place -- Three Amigos Chili