The hot, sunny afternoon of Sunday June 28 was no ordinary Sunday in Truckee. On this particular Sunday over 1,000 chili lovers witnessed a classic contest among 15 competent chili chefs fighting to the finish for the top prize at the hotly contested first annual Truckee Chili Cookoff.
The panel of judges included Pat Davison, Travis Pribble, Jake Hudson, Brian ‘Shaggy’ Smith, Truckee Mayor Mark Brown and Ellen Grace. The judges said they had a difficult time ranking the contestants since they all cooked a fine chili. Categories included Restaurants, Nonprofits, Individuals and Best Overall. Additionally, a People’s Choice award was given as voted upon by attendees.
Ryan ‘Happy’ Gilmore took first place as an Individual; first honors in the nonprofit category went to the team from Tahoe Forest Hospital led by Matt Pierz, executive chef. Although Jax Truckee Diner won’t officially be opening their doors until July 14, Chef Melinda Dorn took the top prize in the Restaurant category and the People’s Choice award. The Grand Champion of this first ever Truckee Chili Cookoff was the young team ‘Poets on Payday’ – Lyle Poulin, Aaron Oropeza and Michael Kugler. The team name was taken from the chili cookoff episode of The Simpsons.
This community fundraiser provided a day of family fun with chili tasting, non-stop entertainment by Bud Worrell, the Sierra Mountainaires, Pleasant Heads and The Red Devil Rhythm Section featuring The Reverend B. Wright and special guest star ‘One Foot Johnson.’
The Railroad Regulators made a surprise appearance ending a sudden brawl with a deadly gunfight in front of the astonished crowd. All proceeds from the event benefit Truckee-North Tahoe programs addressing the needs of youth, economically disadvantaged and elderly.
