The Heat’s On in Balboa as Chefs Vie to Reach State Chili Contest

With the graceful sway of yacht masts in the background, chili connoisseurs dressed in everything from chaps and cowboy hats to bunny suits wandered Saturday afternoon from booth to booth at the American Legion hall parking lot on Balboa Island, hunting for a taste of the coast’s finest chili.

Clasping a glass of beer in one hand and stuffed bunny in the other, one woman sauntered up to the Climax Chili booth to taste their hottest version. Under the next tent, patrons of Costa Mesa’s Stag Bar crowded around the chefs, vying for a nibble of the house specialty and cooing over the spicy red sauce.

With every chef came a different recipe and a different secret, but all 23 of the contestants had one thing in common: They are members of the International Chili Society and were facing a last chance to qualify for the California state cook-off.

The American Legion Chili Cook-Off in Newport Beach is among the last sanctioned opportunities to qualify for the state meet, scheduled for the Newport Dunes at the end of May. Although no one argues that the main goal of the cook-offs is to have a good time, chili is one thing these people take seriously.

“Well, good chili is good chili,” explained ICS official scorekeeper Karen Ray. “But we’re looking for some specifics--no one spice predominating, and a consistency that is not too thick or too thin.

Between 60% to 70% of the score goes to the general taste, she said. “Then you also have to look at the color of the chili, and the aroma. If it smells good, you know it’s going to taste good.”

She also explained that although there are regional specialties--such as extra-hot chili in Texas and sweeter chili out of Cincinnati--society winners usually keep things to the basics of meat, vegetables and spices. In particular, no “fillers” are allowed, such as beans, rice, onions or cheese, which are sometimes served with the spicy specialty.

“There’s an old saying that the only thing you put in good chili is the spoon,” one judge said.

With a country band playing in the background, contestants had three hours to cook their masterpieces.

At 3 p.m. the judges collected samples from every group and lined them up on a long table. With a glass of beer and a plate of crackers, celery and carrots--to clear the palate--the judges got down to business.

Like wine experts, they sniffed, gazed and swirled, letting the spices linger on the tongue. On final tally of the points, a Costa Mesa chili, Ruth Porter’s “Margaritaville,” took first place. Runner-ups included the “Horny Toads” chili made by Richard Breck of Bonita and “Rosie’s Red,” developed by Rosie Taylor of Chula Vista.

For the chefs, however, working to perfect a chili recipe is sometimes better than winning. For Chuck and Diane Varney, who cook the Stag Bar’s chili, the secret of a good chili is “a whole lot of TLC.” (They also use oxtail, for a unique taste.) Several chefs mentioned a chili cook-off last year in which a contestant butchered a beaver for his “secret ingredient.”

But Jim and Karen Watson, who entered as the JK Coyote Chili Company, maintain that there is no one secret for making good chili, except enjoyment.

“You just go out and have a good time and try and make it the best you can,” explained Jim Watson. “Basically, you just hope everybody likes it.”