On a cold winter’s day, there’s nothing like the pungent aroma from a pot of chili bubbling on the stove to draw people together.
So it was at Park Place on Sunday night when residents there turned out for the new community’s first annual Chili Cook-off.
Chili makers and chili eaters gathered in a cozy lower-level party room while a chilly wind whistled outside to mix and mingle and sample from among eight chili entries that were judged by a panel of local restaurateurs in a blind taste test.
Entries included both vegetarian and meat-based dishes and were rated for spiciness on a scale of 0 (mild) to 5 (get out the fire extinguisher). Cornbread, dirty rice, and cole slaw from Stan and Joe’s Saloon on West Street rounded out the menu, while participants doused the fire from all those hot peppers with “chilly” beer and wine from Chile.
Jackie Cipriano and Roz Salus served as coordinators for the event, one of the monthly happenings presented by the Park Place Social Committee. Jackie, a professional chef, also does regular cooking demonstrations at Park Place.
Despite the variety of chili options available, sisters Christine and Lauren Heinsohn couldn’t resist loading their bowls with what they knew would be their favorite contest entry: the chili submitted by their mother, Liz Heinsohn. Liz and her husband, Gerd, were among the first to settle on a condominium at Park Place in July 2007. They live in Arnold, while Christine, 25, occupies their Park Place unit. The mixed-use Park Place complex is located at the corner of West Street and Taylor Avenue.
Christine said she loves the in-town location and urban lifestyle of Park Place. “It’s so easy to get anywhere,” she said, between bites from her steaming bowl.
Liz’s chili recipe, with ground beef, spicy sausage, and four different kinds of beans, ended up tying for third place with the entry submitted by Brandon Robertson.
Dan Quesenberry picked up second place, and the first-place winner was Beth Marx, who moved to Park Place about a year ago. She won a $50 gift certificate to Carpaccio’s restaurant, which she frequents.
“The secret is: I use hot, spicy Italian sausage,” Beth said of her winning recipe. Fresh herbs, including garlic, oregano and rosemary, helped put her dish over the top with the judges.
Judge Donna Duran, owner of Broadneck Grill in Cape St. Claire, pegged entry No. 8 – Beth’s – as the winner from the start. “I liked the consistency. It had a lot of chopped-up vegetables.
“It wasn’t soupy – it was very flavorful and it had some zip to it, which I liked,” Donna noted.
Other judges were Javier Diaz, chef at Broadneck Grill, and John Chisholm, a partner in Stan and Joe’s. The judges rated each chili entry on a scale from one to 10 in five categories: consistency, color, taste, after taste, and aroma.
While teenage boys are not often known for agreeing with their parents, Le Jon Vines, 17, sided with his mom, Park Place front desk manager and concierge Jean Slay-Vines, in choosing entry number five by Bill Isopi, as the best chili of the night. “It was simple, but it had a nice spice to it,” said Le Jon, a senior at Washington Mathematics Science Technology High School in Washington, D.C.
Bill Vining, president of the board of directors of the Park Place residents’ organization, was on hand to sample the chili and root for his wife Shirley’s entry. He said settlements scheduled to take place this week will put the number of Park Place units sold at 138 out of 208, or 66 percent.
Units are a mix of owner-occupied and rented.
“It’s a community that has really come together,” said Park Place resident Sandy Huberfeld, who attended the cook-off. “You can go into the gym and say hello to people. There’s a great diversity of people here. There’s a fun, active spirit,” she said.
Upcoming events on the Park Place social calendar include a St. Patrick’s Day party, Cinco de Mayo celebration, summer pool gatherings, and an annual Oktoberfest.
