NYC Chili Cookoff

Although Staten Island is a pretty small borough, there is never a lack of events and activities to attend, especially on the weekends. As I was driving past Historic Richmond Town a few weeks ago, I noticed a sign advertising the NYC Chili Cookoff. Food and a community event? I was definitely in!

I contacted Niles French from Development & Marketing and he invited me to be a judge. I was so excited! I mean, Miss NY isn’t too far away but chili eating for my community wouldn’t count as cheating on my eating regimen right?

My family and I arrived bright and early for the event. I could smell the chili from the parking lot….yum! I was given a VIP bracelet and met the other judges. We sat in on a brief orientation about chili and the rules were explained. I decided that I would judge salsa and red chili. The green chili sounded interesting but I didn’t want to push it! The downside to being a judge was that I wasn’t allowed to taste any of the chili before the contest - ugh! That was a killer for me because it all smelled amazing! 

As we walked around I bumped into…yes, literally BUMPED INTO…none other than Kori Chambers from Pix 11 news who asked to interview me. Nothing like an impromptu, on the spot interview! Afterwards we chatted about chili, MAO and my platform. To think I was just chatting casually with Kori Chambers who I watch every morning on the news…so cool! 

When the time came to judge, we went back upstairs in the old courthouse. The atmosphere reeked of “official business” as we went about our task of tasting the 14 salsas set before us. Let me tell you, chili judging is a serious business and there were so many rules! I concentrated to be sure I didn’t make any mistakes. When we were through, I made my final 3 choices. The results were tallied and although I didn’t pick any of the winners, I geared myself up for the red chili judging. The protocol for the red chili tasting was a bit different but everyone was still in serious taste testing mode. In the end there were two ties. Last minute judges, including my Dad and my boyfriend Nick, were called in to assist in the tie-breaking. When the winners were finalized, I am happy to report that all three were numbers I had chosen. Apparently, practice makes perfect! 

Before we left, we walked around, saw an awesome mariachi band, chatted with our Borough President and Deputy Borough President, met some old friends and made two new connections for future appearances.

All in all, I’d say it was a successful day! Thank you, Niles, Historic Richmond Town & the International Chili Society for having me as a judge. I had an awesome (and delicious) time!