Published: October 14, 2008 01:25 am            

Weather hot, but menu chili

Zionsville — It was a warm day in Boone County on Saturday.

But it was hot in Zionsville — spicy hot — thanks to the 14th annual Brick Street Chili Cookoff, put on by Scott Barnes, owner of the Friendly Tavern.

Thirteen different chili-loving participants cooked up their best batches to share with the biggest turnout in seven years, said Fred McClaine of Agency Associates Inc., who matched the donations raised at the event, a fundraiser for the Zionsville Community Food Bank.

“Last year we matched $2,700 to make $5,400 in total donations,” McClain said. “That fed over 1,000 families for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

This year the event raised $1,600 and, with the Agency

Associates Inc. match, will contribute $3,200 to the food bank.

McClaine and Michael Haffey manned Agency Associate’s Touchdown Chili booth, with Haffey yelling out things like “reverses the aging process!” and “full of anti-oxidants!” All of which, McClaine said, had no merit. But the fun atmosphere and bright display of the Touchdown Chili tent did earn them an award — first place for best booth. The Chucklin’ Chickpea Chili won for best alternative chili. The judges chose JJ’s Rock’n’Roll Chili for third place, Kiwanis Witch’s Brew for second, and Three Generations for first. Three Generations also won first place for people’s choice.

Though Three Generations won two first places this year, they’d never before placed with the judges, only the people.

“We’ve won people’s choice for the past five years,” said Brett Paschke of Three Generations. “I figure with five judges and 500 people, if we do well with the people, then that’s what matters.”

Three Generations was also one of the only booths not to run out of chili in noon-to-2-p.m. window — though they did run out of spoons. The Rotary Club, with little star pastas in their chili, ran out of 5.5 gallons at around 1 p.m. And so many others were out, like Touchdown Chili’s 10 gallons, around 1:30 p.m. that the first thing out of some people’s mouths at Three Generations was, “Do you have any left?”

It was such a big hit, Barnes said, because this is the second year they have coordinated alongside the Brick Street Gallery Walk.

“We figured it would help the community,” he said. “It brings people into town and helps merchants out. And this year’s definitely been wonderful.”

As the winner, Three Generations’ chili will be on the menu for Friendly Tavern for a year — and there will be no spoon shortages.

        

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