Cookin' for a cause
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on October 25, 2014 10:44 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
From left, Kandy Pitta and Rionna Allen enjoy chili while dressed in medical gear at the Immediate Care "Dr. Chili's Germ Kicken Chili" tent at the Really Chili Challenge held Saturday afternoon in downtown Goldsboro. The Immediate Care team won third place for the judges' choice for best chili.
Do you want to know the secret to an award-winning chili?
"An awesome cook," said Matthew Steed, the chef behind the Really Chili Challenge first place dish.
In his fourth year competing, Steed tweaked his recipe some and took home the gold.
Steed said he and his Little Bank co-workers "just come out to support the Soup Kitchen and the community."
Winners received handcrafted bowls by potter Randy Wright.
First Presbyterian Church won second place with their "Bountiful Harvest" chili.
Bill and Lisa Royall were selected by their church to have their recipe entered in the Really Chili Challenge out of five other recipes. It was their first time competing.
"A lot of love was put into that chili," Bill said.
Love was a common ingredient in the chili, but some other chefs were willing to share their secret flavor secrets.
Event organizer Rosalyn Lomax adds molasses to her chili because she likes sweet things. Center Stage Theater's chili had pepperoni in it -- the Halloween-themed booth had "chili to die for."
The secret behind the third-place chili, Immediate Care's "Dr. Chili's Germ Kicken Chili," by Jeff Pitta, was "cooking it nice and slow."
Pitta's 10-year-old son, MacKayla, said he prefers the sweet and salty combo. When his dad was listening, he had never tasted a better chili, but he recommended the Zaxby's chili quietly.
MacKayla was also a big fan of the North Carolina Wesleyan's strawberry shortcake.
"We like to help people and my husband likes to cook," mom Kandy Pitta said.
The 2014 Really Chili Challenge benefited the local Soup Kitchen.
Ms. Lomax estimates an average 200 people come through the facility on a daily basis. Attendance is higher in the summer when children are out of school, but she expects snowy days will also draw a large crowd this winter.
At the chili cook off, 19 teams competed to impress the 18 judges.
Renowned State chili champion Vicki Rice advised the judges to pick the winners as "if you're stranded on a desert island."
"What chili would you want to eat every day until you're rescued?" she asked.
She tallied the scores and made sure the double-blind judging remained fair and anonymous.
Two tables of judges tasted all 19 chilis, sending the top five to the head table for final judging. Sheriff Larry Piece and Mayor Al King were among the judges at the head table.
The judges scored based on aroma, flavor, heat, color and consistency.
For TA Loving, it wasn't the chili that garnered attention.
The company's booth-turned-NASA space station won "Best Booth," as the participants donned full space suits, complete with helmets, to serve up their "Out of this World" chili.
Last year they dressed up as horror movie icons, starting a new tradition of costumes.
Over 1,000 people attended the event and voted the "Holy Spice" chili by the Cornerstone Church as People's Choice.
Cliffs of the Neuse park rangers served up a beef and venison chili, though there was a joke of possible raccoon meat.
"We're just trying to get more exposure for our park and it's a good cause. We can all help each other out," said park ranger Crystal Lloyd.