Chili cook-off is just one of many events

By JOHN KOZIOL

Staff Writer

LACONIA — Despite temperatures in the mid-70s, a record-sized crowd turned out Tuesday afternoon to enjoy some warm, hearty fare during the 13th annual WLKZ-FM Chili Cook-Off at Funspot.

Teams from Bay Gulls of Center Harbor and Plymouth, the Snowy Owl Inn of Waterville Valley, the Tilt’n Diner of Tilton and Goodfellas Tavern and Grill of Laconia competed for bragging rights and the honor of keeping the WLKZ Chili Bowl — an old football helmet turned upside down and spray-painted gold with a ladle in it — for a year.

Proceeds from the cook-off benefit the Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society.

Peg Wisell tries on a pair of sunglasses at a vendor’s booth in The Weirs. (Citizen Photo/Daryl Carlson)

Jim Cande, general manager of WLKZ, estimated that between 700-800 folks came out to sample the chili and then vote for their favorite.

When the ballots were counted, the Snowy Owl Inn took first place honors while Goodfellas was runner-up.

Up until the results were in, John Doherty, who is the chef at Bay Gulls, thought his restaurant had a good shot at the Bike Week chili crown.

A secret to good chili is to "smooth it out," explained Doherty and whereas others might add beer to achieve that result, Bay Gulls uses "fresh-squeezed orange juice."

Also slightly untraditional is the addition of celery to his chili, said Doherty.

Although purists will argue that "you’re not supposed to put in celery," he does, Doherty said, "because I like it."

Otherwise, Bay Gulls’ chili is fairly traditional and begins with 75 percent lean ground beef — the fat gets poured off after cooking but "you need the fatty hamburger to get the taste," said Doherty — to which are added onion, peppers, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic and tomatoes.

Someone who’s traveled extensively and tried chili in different parts of the U.S., Doherty said Texans "would die" to hear what tomato-happy Granite Staters do to chili which in the Lone Star State is simply meat and chili peppers.

Over at the Snowy Owl table, chef Ryan McQueeney was doling out small cups of "Steve Ives Chili."

Named after his boss, who also came up with the recipe, the Steve Ives chili is made of beef and pork, five kinds of beans as well as five kinds of peppers, said McQueeney.

"I think we’re going to do pretty well," McQueeney said before the votes were counted in the chili cook-off and after the Snowy Owl Inn was announced the winner, McQueeney was gracious in victory.

"We’re really happy that we won. We really didn’t know what to expect. We got our name out and it means a lot to us to compete with these guys here in the Weirs. It was a lot of fun," said McQueeney.

Cande said he was delighted with the turnout for the chili cook-off, which was the best in the years he has been associated with it.

"There was a steady line" of people waiting to get into the tent where the cook-off was being held, said Cande, even though there were fewer restaurants competing than in 2002.

The decrease in the number of chili cook-off participants, Cande believes, is directly attributable to the fact that Bike Week is getting increasing more popular throughout the entire state, not just the Lakes Region.

As restaurateurs realize they can make good money catering to the Bike Week visitors at their own restaurants, they are less inclined to take a day off to compete in the chili cook-off, said Cande.

Nonetheless, WLKZ will do whatever it can to keep the cook-off going and to get more restaurants involved, because, as the turnout on Tuesday showed, Cande said, the cook-off has become an essential part of Bike Week that visitors eagerly anticipate.

"We love this event. It’s a great event," said Cande.

McQueeney promised that the Snowy Owl Inn would be back in 2004 to defend its Chili Bowl title.

"I think we have to," he said.