St. Michael must have been working overtime on March 6th. As the patron saint of grocers, he was busy helping the families of St. Michael the Archangel Regional School get ready for their first annual chili cookoff.
16 families competed for the Best Chili prize at the school, located in Clayton, NJ. In addition to the Best Chili there was also a Best Decorations, Best Mac n Cheese and Best Dessert.
A sense of humor, combined with with a sweet and spicy chili put the Red Hot Red Heads in first place.
One of my favorite chilis of the day was Team Yates. They used New Jersey corn, picked fresh and frozen this past summer. 6 different kinds of peppers gave their chili a bit of a kick while molasses, syrup and brown sugar made for a sweet finish.
Lea’s Ladies was the only veggie chili in the competition thanks to Lea’s vegetarian aunt. To add a bit of heat, Lea used chili powder and canned chipotles.
The Best Decoration prize went to team Happy Hubby. Their chili had a good kick to it and they made the cutest cornbread wedding cake.
Winning the Mac n Cheese division was my favorite entry, Kyle’s Creation. Made by Francynne McKeever, from an old family recipe passed down from her mother, the breadcrumb topping and thick cheese sauce was savory and filling. Kyle, age 10, said that when he eats it, it makes him think of cheddar. This dish is his favorite because it makes him think of his grandmother. “I’ll cook it for myself when I grow up,” said Kyle.
Even after eating 16 different chilis and 8 mac and cheeses, I still had room for something sweet. Kevin’s favorite entry in the dessert division was Guvera’s Great Cake. It was moist, sweet and chocolate.
My favorite dessert was the competition winner: Nicole from Annalayna’s Sweets with a stunning pizza cake. Seriously. That picture is of a cake.
Students from St. Michael’s helped run the event. Emily (right) and Danielle (left), both 11 years old, served mac n cheese with a smile. Emily preferred the Dipalma’s chili while Danielle was a Yates fan.
According to Principal Bruni, the money raised will go towards future expenditures for the school. Approximately 310 students attend St. Michael’s in grades prek-8.
Lessons Learned:
-I can eat a lot of chili. A LOT. However, no matter how much I eat, Kevin can eat three times as much and not gain weight. It’s just not fair.
-The families at St. Michael’s are all super nice. How can I tell? Their chilis tended to be on the sweet side. No one was there with the 9 alarm chili trying to scorch my mouth. Thanks for saving my palate!
-Pie eating contests are great fun. When the contestents are kids, it’s downright adorable.
