You never know what’s in chili. Some of the more adventurous cooks put chocolate, coffee, jelly and possibly even Johnny Depp’s victims from Sweeney Todd in the stuff.
You do know what’s not in the chili at the fifth annual Kosher Chili Cook-Off at the Jewish Community Center in Creve Coeur, though – no pork, no rabbit, no dairy products mixed with meat, etc. (Incidentally, venison, duck and even giraffe are kosher. But for a cook-off, all kosher meat is provided by the host just to ensure everything’s, ya know, kosher.)
The cooks who show for this competition (which occurs this Sunday, Nov. 15, from 2 to 8 p.m.) can get every bit as serious as their secular counterparts. They’ll be vying for such awards as People’s Choice, Best Meat Chili, Best Vegetarian Chili, Best Costume/Table Decorations, Best White Chili and Best Chili/Youth Division.
Curious about how they keep the proceedings kosher from start to finish? Head to the Web site of the cook-off’s sponsor, Nusach Hari B’nai Zion, for the good word, bubbeleh. At the cook-off, Rabbi Ze’ev Smason will supervise and keep everything proper. According to his synagogue’s site, “His word is final, no beans about it.”
– Byron Kerman
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2009.