Canton Students Take 3rd, 4th in Chili Cook-Off

Two Canton residents took third and fourth place, respectively, in the second annual Chattahoochee Technical College Chili Cook-Off.

A total of six students in the Culinary Arts program participated in the Oct. 31 competition. No beans or garnishes were used and there was also a ban on thickening agents, so the students were able to use "creative additions from chicken to corn to best each other in the competition," the school said in a news release. 

"This was the students’ idea," said Chef Hillary Gallagher, lead instructor at Chattahoochee Technical College. "This was our second cook-off, and the students definitely take it seriously."

The teams started their preparations and cooking at 8 a.m., and judging for each entry took place around 11 a.m. Along with bragging rights, students were in the running for deluxe knives and tools donated by Mercer Cutlery.

Prizes went to:  

• 1st Place: Hallowed Be Thy Chili, Stella Taylor of Austell
• 2nd Place: Spooky Chili Chix, Regina Bays of Kennesaw and Caroline Colbert of Kennesaw
• 3rd Place: Chuck Wagon Girls Chili, JoAnne Davis of Acworth and Denise Rogers of Canton
• 4th Place: Lone Ranger, Jenny Kiewat of Canton

"I competed in the first of these cook-offs when I was a student here," said floor judge and Chattahoochee Technical College Instructor D Moore. "We had to battle the wind and weather conditions. Other than some bees buzzing around, this was a much better event for the students and the results were great. While all four tasted like traditional chili flavors, there were differences to each one that made them stand out in different ways."

Moore noted the difference between first and second place was only .25 of a point. Each entry was judged based on taste, quantity, color, texture, knife cuts and other elements.

Don’t miss any of the local news you care about. Subscribe to Canton-Sixes Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.