Thousands of attendees braved cold weather and wind on Saturday to crown the best chili in Ithaca at the 27th Annual Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off, hosted by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance.
The event, which ran from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Ithaca Commons, boasted over 40 vendors serving chili or chili-inspired products. 29 businesses and nonprofits served vegan, vegetarian and meat chili to compete for the first-place People’s Choice Award.
Last year, Statler Hotel’s Taverna Banfi won first place for the best chili. Taverna Banfi executive chef Eric Szymczak said “there’s no doubt” that his chili will take home first place again this year.
Szymczak credited his untraditional recipe with drawing one of the longest lines at the event to his stand. “There’s actually thirty to forty ingredients in here,” he said. “I’ve crafted it over several years, and every year I tweak it a little bit more.”
Among other ingredients, Szymczak’s chili includes smoked tri-tip, ground brisket, bacon, five different kinds of chili peppers, three different kinds of beans, espresso, bourbon, anchovies and Vegemite. Szymczak topped it off with a chili corn cookie “to bridge the flavors” of sweet and savory.
“My first taste is fantastic,” first-time judge and “What’s Hot” magazine writer Roger Theise said of Szymczak’s chili.
This year’s cook-off welcomed several new vendors offering unique chili recipes and toppings, such as The William George Agency for Children’s Services, which served a sweet potato chorizo chili with avocado crema, cilantro, lime and goat cheese.
A panel of 15 judges tasted chili from each of the contestants to narrow down the finalists. The finalists will be sampled by three final judges: former Ithaca firefighter Mark Spadolini, Alderperson Ducson Nguyen (D-Second Ward) and founder and owner of Via’s Cookies, Via Carpenter.
Judges and attendees did not seem to reach a consensus by mid-Saturday afternoon. Jack Applegarth, a second-year judge and executive chef at Ithaca College, favored the extensive non-meat chili offerings at the cook-off.
“Vegetarian chili? Gorgeous,” Applegarth said. “That was the best one I’ve tasted so far.”
First-time judge and “What’s Hot” magazine writer Scott Hopko preferred the chicken chili served outside of Collegetown Bagels.
The winners of the 27th Annual Chili Cook-Off will be announced on Bernie Milton Pavilion stage and the Downtown Ithaca Alliance’s social media early this week.
