2023 Shakespearean Smokin Snowdown Chili Cook-Off sees greater contest turnout compared with last year’s event

Snowdown 2023 wouldn’t be complete without another round of the annual Chili Cook-Off and Bloody Mary Contest, which attracted more contestants this year than last year over several categories, including green and red chili, vegetarian chili, no meat, no beans and salsa.

Business owners and independent contestants gathered at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, some as early as 6 a.m. Saturday, to prepare their dishes for a table of judges, with doors opening to the general public at noon.

There were six entries in the salsa category, four vegetarian entries, 13 green chili entries and 12 red chili contestants, Jeff Zimmerman, head chili judge, said.

Zimmerman, who’s served as head judge of the chili cook-off for seven years and participated in judging for about 13 years, said although the event isn’t “sanctioned,” it’s based on the International Chili Society’s rules.

Taste, aroma and consistency are the key to victory in the chili cook-off, but every judge has his or her own tastes, he said. He likes to mix up the judges every year to bring different perspectives and preferences to the table.

He said some judges like their chili to be “inferno” hot. Some judges don’t like cilantro; other judges love it. Does a batch of chili contain a dash of cumin or a heap load? Too much salt or just the right amount?

Kim Keim, owner of Earth’s Garden Gourmet Vegan Co., said Saturday was her first foray into competitive cooking. She prepared and submitted a vegan chili dish by 10:30 a.m. Saturday. She noted how there were only a few entrants into the vegan and vegetarian category and liked her odds of winning.

In the spring, she can be found at her stand at Durango Farmers Market every Saturday. On Saturday, chili was the her focus, but her business makes many baked treats and other vegan foods, she said. And she is quite skilled at substituting traditional meats with plant-based ingredients.

“We try classic dishes people are familiar with, and comfort food, and we translate that into a vegan option or a vegetarian option that everybody can enjoy,” she said. “So it’s not just the vegan food and then the ‘regular food.’ It’s for everyone and we try to aim to make it as good or better (than) the original meat.”

Jenni Gross, owner of Soup Palette & Lavender Chick, was serving yak chili, made from yak meat donated by Chama Valley Ranch based in Chama, New Mexico, while Marie Paul, owner of Reising Stage Event Center, prepared green chili.

Other competitors included Chris Young of Chris Young Knives, who stirred up a Texas chili dish, and Dana Schuneman of ParkerDane Salon, who was preparing bloody marys for the adjacent and aptly named bloody mary competition, among other businesses.

cburney@durangoherald.com