Chili Heats Up the Waterfront

HUDSON – On a sunny and blustery Saturday, more than 30 hopeful chili cooks assembled in the huge tent erected in Henry Hudson Riverfront Park – all part of the fourth annual Hudson Valley Bounty Chili Contest.  The recipes had endless variations – from sweet pumpkin to vegan, red hot to mild, and buffalo to venison (the first prize winner).  No two were alike, and the public, who voted for the winners, sampled them all.

Entrants included hopeful home cooks, groups – like the Belo Third Chili Gang, restaurateurs including American Glory, Red Dot and Coyote Flaco, and even a group of promising college kids studying cooking.  In an effort to increase the range of the contest, entries were solicited from other counties.  The result included chilies ‘imported’ from Queens, Westchester, Greene, and Montgomery counties.  No matter where they hailed from, all the cooks were eager to serve their selection and get feedback from those attending.

And there were tasters galore.  More than 1,000 attended, making this the biggest Chili Contest ever.  “The weather was perfect,” said co-chair Nancy Ginsberg of Ginsberg’s Foods. “We couldn’t have asked for a better day.”  Help came in the form of the ArtsWalk Shuttle bus that delivered crowds on a regular basis, and several enthusiastic visitors who made calls on their cell phones bringing in more people.

Music from the Thunder Ridge Band gave folks a rockin’ back beat for sampling all the fine cooking.  And the view of colorful foliage across the river on the crystal clear day didn’t hurt.  Additional vendors including Tierra Farm, Furse Photo, Asia Luna and Shepherd’s Garden gave folks a pause between bites to purchase some of the locally made items offered.

A new addition this year was the $100.00 prize offered for best table decoration.  The resulting creativity was as widely varied as the chilies and added substantially to the fun.  Dutchess County’s Elizabeth Crockett chose a Hawaiian theme resplendent with exotic flowers, pineapples, leis and even a palm tree.  Folks in Angela McGuire’s booth presented some intricately carved pumpkins, filled them with dry ice and ended up with “fire breathing” creations.  This year’s winning booth, decorated by Columbia County’s Neil Howard, included flowers, tall feather palms, a rustic candlestick and even a stuffed alligator head.   Another interesting table was that of Poucher/Laraway where a picket fence fronted the presentation and a mural advertising “chili that will burn down the barn” hung immediately behind the three women who shared the space.  The table of one of last year’s winners, the Churchtown Fire Company, had fire hats filled with corn chips, a firebox and fire extinguisher gracing the table, and a huge banner advertising their 2009 first place status.

As in the past, judges for this year’s event were the people who attended.  Each was given a dried bean upon entry.  And, after they sampled all the chilies, they were instructed to drop their bean into the jar located on the table of their favorite.  Prizes went to the cooks who accumulated the most beans.  

Mayor Rick Scalara announced the awards.  A third place medal and check for $150.00 went to Adrianne Poucher and O’Malley Hester Laraway.  The $300.00 second prize and medal was awarded to Peter Wintermantel from Long Island City, and first place went to Hudsonite, John Brusie.  When the Mayor learned that Brusie was taking home $500.00, he noted that his Grandmother’s chili recipe was pretty great and he might be back next year – in competition.

Hudson Valley Bounty is the newly expanded version of Columbia County Bounty – known for their signature event, “Taste of…” held every summer at the Columbia County Fairgrounds.  Their goal is to expand the use of agriculture in preserving the countryside and preventing urban sprawl.  They promote the use of local produce and emphasize the need to support local farming.

This year's sponsors included Ginsberg’s Foods, A. Colarusso & Son, Columbia Tractor, Register Star/The Daily Mail and Valley Energy.