Sunshine, a booming bass line and the smell of spicy chili wafting through the air drew students away from Cabell and toward the parking lot behind Sigma Pi Epsilon last Friday afternoon. The crowds were headed toward Pi Kappa Phi's 11th annual Chili Cook-off.
Ticket profits, along with cup and tee shirts sales from the event, all went toward a donation to Madison House that was expected to total about $1,000, third-year Commerce student Curtis Jones said.
Free chili and beer with a ticket purchase, plus a live band and nice weather drew a sizable crowd.
The atmosphere was casually festive as students in sundresses and shorts milled around with plastic bowls and cups. The four cover bands, Finding Time, Japaneze Elephants, Majakamo and Lone Hawk blasted some college classics.
The cook-off consisted of 20 or so chili entries, each vying for "Most Original," "Hottest" and "Best Overall" awards.
Although most entries were prepared by fraternities or sororities, other University organizations, community businesses and individual contestants competed too, Jones said.
Theta Delta Chi, Chi Omega, Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Alpha and Baja Bean, among others, had booths set up in lines lengthwise along the sides of the parking lot. The stage backed up to the SPE house, where brothers sat on the roof, looking down on the spicy scene.
Jones said "celebrity" professor judges tasted the chili concoctions and distributed the various awards.
The "Hottest Chili" award went to Delta Upsilon's tongue scorching entry and "Most Original" went to Sigma Kappa for their dessert-style chocolate-flavored chili, he said.
"Best Overall" went to fourth-year College student Justin Kent, a member of Pi Kappa Phi.
DU member Heath Boucek, the mastermind behind his fraternity's chili entry, gave some insight into his winning bowl.
"This chili is a mixture of ground beef, Vienna sausage and spam," Boucek said.
Scooping a bright orange pepper out of his chili pot, Boucek explained his key ingredient.
"I loaded the chili with Habenero peppers," he said.
Although a few brave souls did step up to try the dangerously hot chili, many were intimidated by a taste that was "transcendentally painful," a member of DU said.
Rumor was though, that one person was able to eat a whole bowl.
"The only guy who ate a full bowl is talking to his dog right now," a DU member said.
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