Written By Lisa Breslin

More than 600 self-proclaimed chili freaks spilled into the Shipley Arena at the Carroll County Agriculture Center on Oct. 22 for the Second Annual Chili Cookoff, hosted by the GFWC Junior Woman’s Club of Westminster, Inc.

Crocks bubbled, music blared, and folks mingled from table to table to sample the best of the best. Twenty one contestants tossed in secret ingredients and rolled through their simmering strategies to compete for the coveted first place.

Unique ingredients tossed in the pots included bison, cocoa, “Sphincter Shrinker XXX Hot Sauce,” cornstarch, black beans, beer and wine.

Back for the second year in a row, Jason McClanahan, Matt Ingelsbe and Kevin Mapp, the masterminds behind Midnight Heat, hovered over their chili.

Stewed and brewed in a beer keg, their chili featured Midnight Pale Ale – a microbrew produced by Claypipe Brewery in New Windsor.

Brett Wise, age 10, was so excited about the cookoff that he woke up at 1 a.m. and stayed with the day’s event until doors closed at 5 p.m. With the help of his father, Don Dixon, and his neighbor, Larry Stephan, Brett created a bison-based Mexican flavored chili that incorporated a unique blend of bison, sausages, onions, roasted red peppers, black beans, and cocoa.

Five judges rated the chili in five categories: aroma, bite, color, taste, and consistency.

This year’s winners were:
First place: All’n Chili (Robert McDonald and Beth Velisek)
Second place (Tie): Better Late Than Never (Michael Szczesny and Don Patterson) and Ravin Chili (Mark Shearer and Greg Macera)
Third place: Dad’s Roadkill Chili (Ed Alwine)
Vegetarian Chili: Geeks Without Meat (Steve Barker and Melissa Robertson)
Best Restaurant Chili: Giulianova’s Sweet Italian Chili (Bill Schroeder and Troy Kasovec)
This year’s judges included Tammy Black, executive director of Access Carroll; Larry Collins, Carroll County Agricultural Manager; County Commissioner Dean Minnich; Carolyn Morrison, state president of GFWC Maryland; Ron Schroers, director of Westminster Recreation and Parks; and Westminster City Administrator Marge Wolf.
Proceeds from ticket sales, a silent auction, food sales, and generous donors were expected to top $13,000. The beneficiary: Access Carroll – a nonprofit agency that provides primary health care to uninsured, low-income Carroll County residents.
Many volunteers, including students from The Bowling Brook Preparatory School and volunteers from Carroll Hospice & Home Care, fueled the Second Annual Chili Cookoff. Tricia Wagman and Cecilia Alcorn co-chaired the event with the help of the following committee members: Margaret Welliver, Jessica Brock, Babs Condon, Karen Feroli, Ginny Houser, Debbie Kenvin, Angelina Morales, Brenda Murphy, Mary Walton and Rebecca Wisner.