- April 28, 2024
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Jessica Rothenbach and Tyler Wampler went to Publix to buy chili for the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association’s chili cook-off on Jan. 11.
But Publix was out of chili, so they had to make their own.
Rothenbach, the events and marketing director for the association, and Wampler, who is a solutions development manager for ValidFill, decided to make a night of it. They put on music and danced and sang as they spent three hours making their own chili.
“We did not write it down,” Wampler said of the recipe with a laugh. “It might be lost forever.”
The Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association’s chili cook-off was an opportunity for members to come together, network and try six homemade chilis before voting for their favorite.
Each of the chilis was different, but they all had one common ingredient — beans.
The cooks all agreed that beans are a requirement.
Here is a look at each contestant’s take on chili:
Wampler said he usually puts in a lot of beans and a lot of meat, but with this chili, he tried a different approach. He put in fewer beans than he normally would.
“You’re either a bean person or you’re not, but if it has a little bit of beans everybody is kind of, ‘OK, that’s good,’” he said. “We tried to fill it up with other things that were hearty.”
Rothenbach and Wampler, who tied for second, decided to include two types of venison, one of which came from a hunting trip in Georgia and the other a hunting trip in Maryland.
They also used pork sausage, bacon and bourbon smoked beans.
To add to their chili, Rothenbach and Wampler provided various toppings. Their favorites are Fritos, cilantro lime sour cream, freshly grated pepper jack cheese and green onions.
Cindy Jackson with Gilbert Design Build used a recipe that has been passed down in the family and started with her grandmother, Bernice Barnett.
“Between 11 kids, we would all compete to see who would make the better chili, but we would take my grandmother’s recipe and make it our own,” Jackson said of growing up competing against family members for the best chili.
Barnett used to make her chili with venison, but Jackson, who won the contest, said she opted for a healthier option, which was ground turkey and various sausages.
Barnett also uses a secret spice. As she stood next to her chili at the cook-off, she asked people if they recognized the spice, but no one could.
“It has a special little spice that gives it a kick at the end,” she said. “It’s a well known spice but a lot of people don’t guess it. It’s not really anything unusual.”
Marissa Stephenson with Homes by Towne said one of her favorite comfort foods is chili, so she’s made various types. She’s been making chili for at least 10 years.
“I’m not the kind of person who has to eat the same kind of thing the same kind of way,” Stephenson said. “I like to try different stuff.”
For the cook-off, she decided to go a little spicy. Stephenson threw in some Serrano peppers and jalapeños to spice up her base of ground beef, onions, bell peppers, beef broth and more.
To add some acidity and sweetness to the spicy chili, Stephenson added a little bit of orange juice.
Her chili was paired with mini corn muffins.
Natalie Crockett, an executive assistant for the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, had never made chili before.
She decided to use her mom Melanie Crockett’s recipe, which only has five ingredients. She mixed together crushed tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, ground beef, chili powder and beans.
Crockett said she was nervous to share her chili with the cook-off attendees.
“Since we don’t have chili super often, I don’t have too much of a gauge of ‘Is this a good thing?’” she said. “Normally, if I’m making soup, it’s like potato soup or chicken and noodle soup, so I know what those two are supposed to taste like, but chili was a little new for me.”
Next year, Crockett said she might experiment with more spices as her “Mom’s Mild Chili” was mild and had a strong tomato flavor.
Rose Burns, an administrative operations manager with Gilbert Design Build, brought a taste of home to the chili cook-off.
Burns, who tied for second, said she found it amusing listening to people try to figure out what the “‘n’ at” stood for in the name of her chili.
Her chili, Chili ‘n’ at, is in homage to her hometown of Pittsburgh. She said “‘n’ at” is a common abbreviation for “and all that” in Pittsburgh. The chili has more than typical ingredients such as beans, sausage, peppers and onions.
It's unique ingredients include as cocoa powder, chocolate chips, oats and Worcestershire sauce.
“Chocolate has to go in everything,” Burns said. “People are always like, ‘Oh, cocoa powder is the secret ingredient.’ I say, ‘Well, I figured that out with my first batch of fudge.’ It goes well with everything, so I had to put a little in there.”
Amber Elsenheimer, the membership coordinator for Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, mashed together three chili recipes she found online.
“I love to cook and I’m open to trying new foods,” she said after tying for second. “A lot of our group is here so it just adds to the fun of it.”
Elsenheimer wanted to try something new, so she also decided to use the venison Jon Mast, the CEO of the association, brought in from a hunting trip in Georgia in her chili.
Her special ingredient is candied jalapeños. To give it a fresh twist, she added lime juice.
