Cooks add a dash of cash to charity
Published: February 26, 2006
Mark Elwood is a chili-cooking champion, and he has the trophies and ribbons to prove it — 21, in fact, including three grand championships in the annual Sertoma Chili Cook-off.
But for Elwood, it’s the reason behind the chili cooking that matters the most: The Boys & Girls Club is the beneficiary.
And on Saturday, the 25-year tradition of serving chili to offset costs at the club continued as thousands crowded the Springfield Expo Center, sampling more than 70 types of chili.
Elwood, a longtime participant in the Sertoma Chili Cook-off, is a former member of the club.
As a child, Elwood spent his summers swimming there.
“It was a fun outing for me as a kid,” said Elwood, who grew up on a farm in Nixa. “We didn’t have much money, and it was free.”
The Boys & Girls Club has grown to three clubs now, and they are hoping to relocate the oldest club — the Henderson unit — by next year.
The cook-off is helping move plans forward. Proceeds from the event are going toward building and furnishing a gymnasium at the new Boys & Girls Club to be constructed next year in Grant Beach Park.
Mike Voylers, store manager for Price Cutter at Kansas Expressway and Grant Avenue, said preparation work began at 5 a.m., with cooks cutting 120 pounds of ground chuck hamburger meat before it was placed over the stove top. In all, 35 gallons of chili was served at the Price Cutter booth.
Voylers, who has participated for three years, said his team of 10 tries to keep the recipe the same each year but alters it based on audience reaction. This year, the team opted for a spicier blend.
“You get people who don’t like your chili, but then you have people who come for seconds and thirds, and then we know we’ve done something right,” he said.
In an hour, Danielle Lane and her boyfriend, Jeff Shuler, had sampled eight types of chili, and they showed no signs of stopping.
Shuler, who admitted he eats quite a bit of chili, said he was unaware there were so many varieties.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Shuler said.
Eric Merritt was kept busy handing out the spoons, cups and napkins necessary for participating in the all-you-can-eat feast but noted there was enough diversity at the cook-off to satisfy an array of palates.
Some chilis were sweet, others sour. Other varieties seared taste buds with spices incendiary enough to melt spoons.
“If you can eat 74 cup fulls, it’s all you can eat,” quipped Gerald Love, another Sertoman.
The serving lines opened at 10 a.m, and by 2 p.m., little chili was left. Mason Castro, 7, accompanied by his father, John Castro, was lucky.
He found his favorite kind, a spicy blend to pour on his hot dog. The reason: “Because it’s good.”
Besides chili, musical entertainment also was on hand. Featured acts included the Arkamo Rangers, Tripwire, Mark Bilyeu and Cindy Wolf, Thirst-N-Howl and Lyal Strickland.
Also playing were Uncle Fudd, New Blue Yonder, Dallas Jones and Moore-Healey.
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