Savory smells drifted across the Quad from the Huntington Beard Crouse Hall, attracting hungry waves of students. The long line winding around the table proved that few could resist the lure of free chili.

For a few hours Thursday, the table loaded with various recipes of chili may have been the most popular spot on campus.

More than 500 students and faculty members enjoyed free chili at the Chili Cook-off from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students lounged on the patio, scooping steaming cups of chili for a short lunch break.

‘I like free food,’ said Carrie Olsen, a sophomore international relations major. ‘And they have the sour cream and the cheese, too, which is a big deal for me.’

The Office of Student Activities provided not only sour cream and cheese to go with the chili, but also a banquet table loaded with Tabasco sauce and heaps of bags of Fritos. Another table had water, tea and hot chocolate to wash down the spicy meal. Red-and-white checkered tablecloths and colorful paper banners adorned with sombreros and cacti lent a festive atmosphere to the event.

The Chili Cook-off takes place every year as a part of Winter Carnival, a campus-wide celebration of winter that dates back to 1930. OSA organizes the festivities, including prize giveaways, free hot chocolate, glow in the dark ice-skating and the annual cook-off where students could grab a quick bite of chili.

There were nine varieties of chili available. Vegetarians had their choice of a three bean chili with tofu or Campus Catering’s vegetarian concoction, and there were even a few recipes with a bit of a kick for those who like their chili spicy.

Current homecoming King and Queen Darryl White and Stephanie Jasuta judged the chili recipes with Adam McMonagle, a senior information management and technology major and one of the head chairs for Winter Carnival. They taste-tested all nine recipes and chose the three winners. Authentic Texas Chicken Chili was crowned the champion, followed by Deb’s Italian Chili in second and Tex-Mex Fusion Chili rounding out the trio in third place. First place won pots and pans, second received a 51-piece gadget set and third place obtained a canister set.

Bill Walton, who was in charge of catering the event, said that Campus Catering made between 25 and 30 pans of chili for the event. But he wasn’t worried that they had made too much.

‘We’re gonna be here until the food runs out, or 2 o’clock,’ Walton said. ‘Food is going quick, though, these guys are hungry.’

Faith Zaki, a junior advertising and marketing major, was a contestant in the cook-off. Although her ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ Chili recipe didn’t win a prize, Zaki was impressed that Campus Catering made the chili taste ‘pretty close to the original.’

Zaki was not the only one impressed with Campus Catering. Many students silently expressed how delicious the chili was by returning for bowlful after bowlful. Others were more verbal.

Junior physical therapy major Padraic Kane didn’t know which chili he was eating, but he enjoyed it.

‘I have no idea what it’s called,’ Kane said. ‘Pretty bomb, though.’

Assistant OSA Director Courtney Jones, one of the organizers of the cook-off, said she was pleased things ran smoothly and students enjoyed themselves.

‘Campus Catering did a great job for us, and we’ve got decent weather,’ Jones said. ‘It’s going really well.’

klmorris@syr.edu

Published on February 26, 2012 at 12:00 pm