By LAUREN KLOSE
Staff Writer
What’s a better way to spend a chilly February afternoon than eating a bowl, or five, full of chili? On Thursday, February 21, 2013 in the basement of the Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary at The College of Saint Rose, the 2nd annual “A February Warm Up” chili cook-off was held.
It all started at the breakfast the Office of Student Affairs holds in December for their staff to celebrate the end of the year. At the breakfast in 2011, “The chefs began boasting of their cooking and sparked the idea for a chili cookoff,” said Ruth Wakefield, coordinator of this year’s event.
The competition was combined with the celebration of the birthdays of Wakefield and Ann Wilkening, former Director of the Saint Rose’s Study Abroad program and Director of International Studies. People sampled the chili before voting on their favorites.Last year’s winner was Alan Martell, Assistant Director of the Counciling Center, with his Martell’s Campfire Chili. The event was also used as a fundraiser, having raised well over $600 for the Student Emergency Fund last year.
“Everyone has had so much fun and kept asking when are we gonna do this again and so we did,” said Wakefield.
This year, competitors included Martell, Assistant Director of Residence Life, Joseph Pryba, Office Manager of the Athletics Center, Barbara Wyllie, team Arleny Alvarez-Peña and Dashira Cortes from the Office of Intercultural Leadership, and Head Coach Karen Haag of Saint Rose’s women’s basketball team. Pryba and Martell were both returning chefs after having a close competition in last year’s event. Each of the competitors prepared an original recipe for the competition using some very unusual ingredients or techniques to make their chili unique. In the end, Haag was voted Top Chef, receiving the trophy for this year’s cook-off.
“I’m not really a big chili fan, but these are all good,” said Mercedes Arrillaga, Saint Rose student and Treasurer for Colleges Against Cancer.
Martell’s Campfire Chili had a smokey yet spicy flavor. “You get the smoke first and the spice after,” said Martell. One of the key ingredients was spicy smoked paprika. Martell also sandwiched
the chili between bits of Frito chips as well as sour cream. “I call it campfire because it really tastes like you are getting it off the campfire,” said Martell.
Pryba had a very interesting approach towards making chili, one that caused it to live up to its name: Last Minute Chili. The trick was that he didn’t actually measure the ingredients, and instead, put in whatever he found necessary. He also used sweet peppers rather than spicy ones to give it a different taste from the other chilis. These fresh yellow and orange peppers gave his chili a little bit of a crunch. Hot sauce, oregano, and peeled, diced tomatoes were also used to make his chili.
One of the most unusual chilis was Wyllie’s Kahlúa Con Chili to Soothe the Soul. It involved a couple of unique ingredients such as peaches, whipped cream, and Kahlúa.
“I’m not particularly fond of chili so I figured if I was going to compete, I would use ingredients I like,” said Wyllie.
Wyllie soaked some of the peaches in Kahlúa, which she put on top of the cups she was handing out, as well as adding an extra little splash of the liquor, though of course, participants had to be 21 or over to receive this particular dish. There were some peaches already mixed into the chili that, although they had been soaked in Kahlúa as well, the alcohol had been cooked out. Wyllie’s reasoning for the peaches was thatshe didn’t like beans and decided to use a fruit to replace them.Peaches turned out to work the best, while the Kahlúa was usedto give the chili a little extra kick. As for the whipped cream on top,that was a last minute decision Wyllie made as she was heading out the door for the competition.
Mo-Chil-Lé was a collaboration between Alvarez-Peña and Cortes. Their chili had a very different taste because it was a chocolate based chili. Alvarez-Peña and Cortes also made homemade wanton chips which were seasoned with cilantro, sea salt and olive oil infused with lime. The chili recipe was created through both Alvarez-Peña and Cortes’s own recipes, as well as a few new ingredients. Topping for their chili was sour cream and a salsa made from tomatillo, which is a plant from the nightshade family.
“It’s nice to see folks to come back up and try your food twice,” said Alvarez-Peña.
Haag said the most important ingredient in her Passion Knowledge Chili was love. But, “They are all made with love,” laughed Haag along with her competition. She offered bowls of shredded cheese, sour cream, black olives, and onions to put on top of the small cups of chili being handed out. Instead of the normal ground beef, Haag used chunks of beef, offering a different texture thanthe average chili. The chili also had a decent spice to it.
Those that attended the event could donate however much they desired. Donations from thisyear’s cook-off went to both Saint Rose’s Relay for Life and Haag’s CampBravehearts.
CampBraveHearts offers retreat programs for women diagnosed with cancer. They plan two retreats in the fall and two in the spring. In the past, a variety of activities have taken place, such as pampering sessions which included massages, make-overs, and hair styling, high ropes courses, sailing, river rafting and horseback riding. The weekends tend to be themed, having events such as the Halloween party, where the women dress up, spend the night dancing and having a good time together. Formal support groups are offered, but most of the support, Haag said, usually tends to happen in the conversations during the activities.
This year’s “February Warm Up” raised about $400, with donations still being accepted. The money will be split between Relay for Life and CampBraveHearts.
A raffle was also done with tickets being given out to those who donated at the door when they received their voting ballot. The raffled prize this year was a quilt made by Mary Summers, Wakefield’s 86 year-old mother who crafted it from scraps left over from previous quilts that she had made.
Chicken soup was also offered by Wakefield as an option. “I make it for all those who need an alternate or to cool the chili spice,” said Wakefield.
With any luck, a third annual “February Warm Up” will be held next year with another group of talented chefs to heat up a cold afternoon.
