Chili Cook-off Tests Skills of Culinary Job Training Students

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12.03.2009 --

On Wednesday, four teams of Culinary Job Training students competed to make the best Venison Chili. After researching and practicing recipes for the two days prior, students were prepared to compete at their best.

"On Monday, our chili turned out too spicy. For Tuesday, we toned it down a bit and today, we think we've got it right," explained Sheila from team Hot Chili Peppers.

Students were strategically assigned specific teams by their culinary instructors, allowing students to be stretched and challenged as they worked alongside team members they did not choose themselves.

"Everything is going a whole lot better than I expected," commented Richard from team Hot & Spicy. "They put three of the strongest personalities on a team together. But we decided upfront who would be responsible for which tasks and made it clear that this was based on team effort, not individual."

Venison was also a new ingredient for many students to add to their culinary repertoire, the result of a new partnership with Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) that has already provided about 6,000 pounds of lean, hormone- and antibiotic- free venison for use in some of the 4,000 meals we prepare each day. A generous grant from Saint Alban's Parish Transformation Fund will fund the processing and transportation of about 6,000 pounds more over the next few months.

At 1:30pm, the cooking came to a halt as the judges arrived, ready to test the four variations of chili. Our judges included:

• Jim Tate – Saint Alban's Parish
• Josh Wilson – Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry
• Kathryn Walsh – Bethesda Country Club
• Will Artley – Evening Star Café
• Mary Ann West – Huffington Press
• Glenn Spindler – Keany Produce

After tasting some sweet, some hot and some of both, the judges declared team Hot & Spicy as the winners of the cook-off! Their team chemistry combined with their secret ingredient of cocoa culminated into a chili full of rich and deep flavor. Excellent work!