Chili Cook-Off Warms the Crowd

A couple hundred people converged on the Opera House Saturday for the annual Chili Cook-Off held in conjunction with Woodstock’s Groundhog Day festivities.  Coordinator Rick Bellairs reported that there were 11 entries this year, a few single cooks and a few teams.  Several new contestants and a few retuning chefs including the 2009 ‘People’s Choice’ winner and the 2005 and 2009 overall winners.  Most of the cooks were from Woodstock but there were entries this year from Lake in the Hills and Cary.  Bellairs said he had to turn away a few late entries because of limited space in the kitchen.

All cooks paid a $25 entry fee with all of the meat supplied by the events sponsor, Two Tails Market and Eatery.  Several entries were traditional using ground beef.  Others used lamb, pork and bison.  All the chili was prepared in the Culinary Arts Classroom kitchen at Woodstock North High School.  A donation to help with earthquake relief in Haiti was collected at the public tasting at the Opera House.  

Thus year’s ‘People’s Choice’ winner was a new entry into the competition, Chuck Litts of Woodstock.  Litts was representing Family Alliance, a not for profit geriatric health facility.  Family Alliance held their own cook-off earlier to determine their representative.  Bellairs said the ‘People’s Choice’ voting was very close with 3 entries within just a handful of votes. 

This year’s panel of judges included Bob Hudgins who was location manager in 1992 for Columbia Pictures for the making of the movie “Groundhog Day” in Woodstock, Storyteller Jim May, Jo Williams from the McHenry County Community Foundation, Tim Oman from Groundhog sponsor Home State Bank and Two Tails Market and Eatery Executive Chef Eric Miller.   

2nd place went to Catherine Fletcher of Woodstock with a recipe that included beef, pork and sausage.  1st place went to Ivy Sagrado of Woodstock.  She was retuning champion having won the event in 2009.  Sagrado’s chili recipe used beef and veal.  Bellairs said he didn’t recall having a back to back repeat winner before.