After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues, it looked as if we had seen the last of the Newport Winter Festival, but under the leadership of organizer David Rosenberg, the event will make its return to the City by the Sea from Feb. 17-26.
“The Newport Winter Festival is excited to be back this year and welcome everyone to Newport,” according to a message on the festival’s website. “We are currently working on the 2023 schedule. We look forward to you all joining us for family fun, musical entertainment, and all the festivities!”
Rosenberg, president of Meetings & Events Unlimited in Newport, has long served as the producer of the arts, music, craft and food festival. One of the festival’s popular events is the Chili Cook-Off, which will also be making its return.
At first glance, it would seem to be a simple proposition. Fans, friends and chili aficionados crowd into the location – this year at the new Newport Harbor Island Resort at 1 Goat Island Road (formerly Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina). There is an admission charge connected with a bracelet that is purchased to attend many of the festival events. The competitors hand out small cups of their chili specialty and then votes are collected for first, second and third place.
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WINTER WARMER: The Chili Cook-Off is coming back to Newport after a two-year hiatus. From left, Jeff Rollings, Annie Sheehan and Kyle Bennett from Scratch Kitchen & Catering in Newport took part in the previous cook-off in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
COURTESY NEWPORT WINTER FESTIVAL[/caption]
There are rules and even a governing body for such contests, although the Newport event does not subscribe. There is an International Chili Society in Texas. On its website, it is spelled out: “As any Texas cook will tell you, a chili contest is serious business. You don’t just grab a bunch of people, tell them to cook up a batch of their best and call it a cook-off. There are rules for these things.”
Basic rules, regulations and guidelines spelled out by the International Chili Society are interesting to review, although a bit on the serious side. There is an actual chili definition according to the ICS. Officially, “there are only two kinds of chili, and neither contains beans. Red chili is made with meat, red chili peppers, spices and sauce ingredients; green chili is the same, except it has green chili peppers instead of red.” To the relief of chili cooks everywhere, the organization said “the use of pre-cooked, canned tomatoes [is allowed].”
One of the “rules” is a bit of a head-scratcher. It states, “All cooks should have the same amount of time to prepare their entries. Contestants should start cooking at the same time, with a set number of hours to finish before judging starts. The ICS allows three to four hours.” Any chili chef will tell you time is a key ingredient. A set time is not. After all, when is chili the best? The next day.
Judging is the crux of the event and has its own set of regulations, not the least of which is a standardized set of criteria that determines what makes a great chili.
As one of a panel of judges in an annual chili competition in Vermont that features home cooks, I can say from firsthand experience that the competition can get fierce. Food is known to bring people together, but cooking has become a real competition. In last fall’s contest, the winner turned out to be two neighbors who collaborated on a sophisticated concoction involving venison, bratwurst, homegrown chipotle peppers and homemade seasoned crema (sour cream).
The Newport contest should prove to be a celebration not only of cooking but of gathering. To enter the competition, visit the Newport Winter Festival website or social media pages.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury” is broadcast locally on WADK 101.1 FM and 1540 AM and on WWRI 105.5 FM and 1450 AM. The show is also broadcast on radio stations in Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.