(and the cheese, and the sour cream, but still…)
OK, so the first chili I learned to make was vegetarian — it had five kinds of beans, olive oil, and eight tonnes of spices. It was thick like a stew and you could basically use it as dip for tortillas. It was awesome back then, and I still make it to this day, from memory, in a pot big enough to feed the entire restaurant where I learned the recipe.
Anyway, it might be too late to enter (but I don’t know for sure, email to find out) but you can definitely still go. Get tickets for $15 (write “chili cook-off” in the notes) and you get a free raffle ticket!
So since the Beer & Chili Cookoff left Urbana, head over to the Red Herring and eat good food (the desserts don’t have to be vegan, because BUTTER), look at good art (from Artist of the Corridor Beth Darling), listen to awesome music (of Paul Kotheimer) and win raffle prizes! The event is family-friendly, with crafts for kids and peace flags for everyone, so come out and help this landmark restaurant make it to 50 years: this is a fundraiser for the Red Herring itself.