Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  Susan Green, owner of the Very Nice Brewing company, decided that she wanted to do something fun, yet productive, during this slow spell before ski season. So she organized a chili cook-off with all proceeds going to the Nederland Food Pantry. It seemed small and simple.

“I wanted to give people something to do, a way to get together and everyone seems to love this. It turned out much better than I thought it would.” She was standing in the middle of the packed barroom surrounded by tables filled with 25 different kinds of chili, red, green, and veggie.

People balanced bowls of chili, three at a time, as they looked for a place to sit. Many ate standing up. The chili cookers came out of the fall woodwork after filling their homes with the tantalizing aroma of peppers, meat, onion, spices and many other surprising ingredients.

It was a contest, a cook off, so judges had the pleasure of tasting all the chili: John from Mountain Man, Cindy from the Pioneer Inn, Dawn from Crosscut, Chris from Geek for Hire and Heather from the Stage Stop, breathed in the chili fumes, tasted, cleared the palette and began all over again until everyone’s chili had been savored, analyzed and relished.

The crowd was happy as they cooled their tongues with newly brewed pumpkin beer and tasted the cheddar beer bread, the corn bread, the home-made tortillas and the Fritos.

Food, fun and friends added up to a great time in the shopping center.

When the bottom of the crock pots had been scraped clean and the judges tallied up their scores, the winners were announced.

No one even glanced at the television set which showed the Broncos losing to the Colts. They cared more about who made the tastiest chili.

Steve Jordan won the prize for the best green chili. Christine Hutchinson won the red chili. Andrew Titchiner  won in the vegetarian category. None of the entrants would not divulge the precise recipe but said it took a lot of time and love.

The green chili prize winner was Mouse.

Everyone agreed it was an event that should happen often and it probably will be.