This article provides a nice summary as well as the results:

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... reet-arts-chili-cook-off/

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Hundreds of hungry folks from Jersey City and beyond descended on Parlay Studios in Downtown Jersey City Sunday for 4th Street Arts? Second Annual Chili Cook-off. In fact, so many people showed up that some guests had to wait outside until the crowd inside the film and photography studio subsided.

For $5, chili lovers sampled all the chili they could eat from the 20 entrants, which included local restaurants and individual entries. Beer from New Jersey Beer Company and spirits from Brinley Rum helped temper the spiciness.

Recipes ranged from the meat-packed ? one chili used 11 different types of meat ? to the vegetarian friendly, with unorthodox ingredients like quinoa and seitan. Some contestants tried to dress up their chili with accompaniments like cornbread souffl?, crumbled feta, plaintain chips and tortilla strips.

A panel of three judges ? Ward E councilman Steven Fulop, Tony Susco and yours truly ? were charged with the task of choosing winners from the entries.

?I?m looking for something hot that?s also not going to burn me,? Susco explained.

Fulop said he was impressed both by the turnout and by the caliber of the chili.

?This year?s cook-off is much bigger. I think we need to find a bigger venue for next year, which is a good sign,? he said. ?Competition is getting stiffer.?

From the Restaurant category, the judges chose Abbey?s Bar and Grill. This entry was made from basic ground beef, was spiced perfectly, and wasn?t too thick in consistency.

?We love it,? Abbey?s owner Abbey Tarei said of the chili competition. ?We?re bringing the city together. It?s a great thing for Downtown Jersey City.?

A duo that called itself The Dream Team won best Individual entry. This chili combined a mix of ground New York strip steak, Italian sausage, and ground beef. Anthony Mazzola and Cristina Yezza won with their spicy yet sweet entry.

Mazzola, who lives in Lake Hopatcong, found out about the cook-off just a week before the deadline after doing an online search for chili competitions in the area. ?We were a last-minute entry,? he said.

In addition to best Restaurant and best Individual entries, the judges awarded bonus prizes for Most Creative, Spiciest, and Best Vegetarian.

The Most Creative award was given to Alex Swain, who entered as ?Swain-Stu-Gators.? He made his chili with fresh alligator meat acquired from a farm in Louisiana.

?People think the alligator is weird, but it?s much leaner than other types of meat. It comes from the tail and has a gamey taste,? Swain said. ?I marinated it in buttermilk, which makes it less chewy. Since it?s a mild tasting meat, the challenge was to use it as an ingredient in a chili without overwhelming it with cumin and chili powder.?

The prize for Spiciest Chili was awarded to Victoria?s Ristorante, which used Tabasco sauce, ground black pepper, and grain-fed natural beef, among other ingredients, for an environmentally conscious chili with a lot of heat.

The Best Vegetarian Chili title was presented to ?Burn out the Night,? which didn?t try to mimic the meaty taste of beef-based chili. Instead, Dennis Stancavish made the vegetables the star of this dish.

In addition to the judges? awards, attendees got to vote for their favorite chili dishes as well, with the People?s Choice Awards going to Lucky 7 Tavern in the Restaurant category and, like the judges, the Dream Team in the Individual category.

Where can we see the results?

bump... Sounds like a really good deal. Food and entertainment for just 5 bucks, with proceeds to charity.

Today (Sunday March 6th) @ 2PM// $5 // 161 2nd St.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... _arts_to_spice_up_je.html

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The Jersey City nonprofit 4th Street Arts is holding its 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off.

The cooking competition will feature 10 individual cooks and 10 local restaurants serving up their tastiest renditions of the cold-weather classic for Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop, Jon Whiten from The Jersey City Independent and Peter Genovese, food critic for The Star-Ledger.

Hungry locals are welcome to attend the event as well and can help themselves to the 20 dishes for only $5.

The competitors will bring samples of their dishes which will be tasted by the judges.

Attendees will also receive ballots and can vote for their favorite restaurant and favorite individual chili recipes to decide who wins the People?s Choice award.

Some of the restaurants which will be competing are Lucky 7, LITM and Made with Love, which won the Golden Spoon award for Best Vegetarian Chili last year.

According to Marc Caterina, one of the directors of the event, Golden Spoons are also given for the most creative and spiciest dishes.

Regardless of who wins, the event is sure to be a hit.

?What makes the event popular is that it?s universal,? said Caterina. ?It?s cheap lunch on a Sunday afternoon.?

The cook-off will be held at Parlay Studios which is located at 161 2nd St. in Jersey City. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Music and alcoholic drinks will be available.

For more information, contact Mike McNamara at (201) 898-0615.