Chilly Chili Cookoff: 10 Syracuse chefs square off to raise money for local restaurants

Pompey, N.Y. — Chefs from 10 local restaurants competed in a chili cookoff Saturday afternoon to raise money for restaurants that were forced to close last fall because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sold-out Chillin In ‘Cuse Together raised $14,400 in ticket sales that will benefit restaurants that were in a designated Orange Zone.

No two chilis were alike, but they were all creative. One pot might be loaded with grass-fed ground beef, another could highlight braised pork. Some had beans, some didn’t. Some were spicy, some were sweet.

“I didn’t know what to expect. I mean anything could happen when you take 10 strong personalities from 10 successful restaurants and put them all in one room for a day,” said Dan Palladino, who hosted the cookoff at his Heritage Hill Brewhouse. “We ended up with great energy and great food and lasting friendships.”

Each restaurant prepared 10 gallons of chili to serve over five 50-minute seatings. Ticketholders each got 3 ounces of chili from each restaurant. They then picked their three favorites.

Five judges — Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, restaurant consultant Bud Loura, “Eat Local New York” video host Anthony Tringale and Charlie Miller and Chris Baker from The Post-Standard and syracuse.com — also sampled all of the chili and picked their favorite.

Here is what each restaurant served and the winners:

People’s Choice Award: Papá Gallo

Pork Poblano Green Chili: Braised pork, roasted poblanos, chipotle peppers, sweet corn, white beans, sweet potatoes, sour cream, fresh cilantro and tortilla chips.

From the judges: The roasted poblano peppers made this chili more unique than any other. Jason Thomas, owner of the Arad Evans Inn and Papa Gallo restaurants in Fayetteville, picked two peppers that combined for a smokey sweet flavor.

Judges’ Choice Award: Chelsea’s Restaurant & Bar

South of The Border Chili: A spicy, smokey stew with poblanos, beans, prime and grass-fed ground beef, tomatillos, handcrafted chorizo and tomatoes.

From the judges: The meat in this chili was finely ground, making it less chunky but giving it a pleasant texture. It had just enough spice that it didn’t compete with the flavor, but it still packed a punch. Chelsea’s needs to add this to their menu, at least during the winter.

Shifty’s

Shifty’s Traditional Chili: Heritage Hill ground beef, red and black beans, hot Italian sausage, Frankenstein sour cream.

From the judges: This is a basic chili with a special surprise on top: a dollop of sour cream blended with Shifty’s Frankenstein sauce. It’s a mix of barbecue, garlic, ranch, honey, hot sauce and other flavors used for their popular chicken wings. The heat takes a second to really kick in, but once it does, you’ll like it.

Santangelo’s

Chili Chili Bang Bang: Prime tenderloin tips, fire-roasted poblano peppers, red, white and black beans, seasoned sour cream.

From the judges: Wait a minute; Santangelo’s is known for their meatballs, right? Well, they make a mean chili too. A Cool Ranch Dorito chip was a nice touch to enhance the flavor. It was a creative way to add salt.

The Cider Mill

Cider Mill Chili: Spicy sausage, chicken & smoked adobo chili with deep-fried cornbread croutons.

Cider Mill Vegan Chili: Roasted vegetable, three-bean chili with deep-fried cornbread croutons.

From the judges: Who would’ve thought a vegetarian chili could satisfy a bunch of hungry foodies? Dan and Teresa Sealey’s offering certainly did. But then we settled into the carnivore variation. Wow! The sausage-chicken combo really worked. The cornbread on top was the perfect compliment.

The Brasserie Bar & Bistro

Olde McDonald had a Farm Yard Chili: A plethora of chicken, pork, turkey, steak, tomatoes, beans and spices.

From the judges: We all appreciated the blend of four types of chunky meats. Not too spicy, but plenty of rich flavor.

Heritage Hill Brewhouse

Smokehouse Spicy Texas Style Chili: Full of smoked Palladino Farms grass-fed beef, pork, tomatoes & onions. In true Texas style, no beans.

From the judges: This meaty soup is a barbecue lover’s dream. The smoked beef gives it the outdoorsy aroma. The fact that the meat came from Dan Palladino’s farm here makes it more special. That, and the cornbread made with sweet creamed corn, a recipe handed down from his mother. “Makes me happy to have family recipes,” he said.

Three Lives

Bowser’s Bourbon Chili: Heritage Hill ground beef, roasted garlic, vegetables, black beans, kidney beans, bourbon & house-made pickled jalapeños.

From the judges: The pickled jalapeños bring this chili home. The bourbon helps too. Three Lives, a video game bar in Armory Square, has already added it to the menu.

Kasai

Kasai Wagyu Chili: Madison Wagyu steak blend ground beef, house-made pork belly sausage, fresh local produce; hot shots to bring up the heat.

From the judges: This chili puts the stuff we make at home to shame. The pork belly combined with the ground steak make this a true meaty delicacy.

Brine Well Eatery

Cincinnati 5 Way: Heritage Hill ground beef, Rosenkrans Farms pork, chocolate, cloves, Heritage Hill “Hey Paesano” pilsner, pickled onion, cheddar, crème fraiche, over house-made egg noodles.

From the judges: One of the judges — Anthony Tringale — is actually from Cincinnati and said this chili is just like his favorite back home. He’s visiting there soon and said he’ll certainly enjoying some Skyline Chili. This was among his top three. Some of us paired this sample with a can of Heritage Hill’s Italian pilsner.

MORE IN CNY

Syracuse restaurateurs booked to cater to the stars at Food Network chef’s wedding

Syracuse Slices: CNY’s self-proclaimed pizza queen takes us to 8 places for different occasions

Best tacos in CNY: Syracuse’s self-proclaimed expert shows us his 8 favorite spots

Hidden Gems of CNY

Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at 315-382-1984, or by email at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter @HoosierCuse.