Guitars spilled their final chords from an elevated soundstage as boot-strapped, jean-clad couples dipped one another in a perfectly synchronized two-step. Surrounding them, long lines of hungry Austinites approached booths of every possible flavor and style of chili around the festivities.
Jo’s Coffee hosted its 19th annual chili cookoff on Sunday in the Hotel San José’s parking lot on South Congress. Teams stirred hearty stews of beef, pork and peppers, laying out samples to taste. For $25, attendees could taste and vote on their favorite chilies. Judges selected the top two recipes, while the audience picked the crowd favorite.
After winning first place last year, brothers Justin Delgado, who studied at UT in 2008, and Luis Delgado, who studied at UT in 2007, returned to reclaim their title. Justin, the chef for the team Clay Pigeon, prepared a Tejano-inspired chili.
“(Está) hecho con amor, (it’s) made with pure love,” Justin said. “We try to incorporate a little bit of our heritage.”
The result of their unique twist was a chilli recipe with Mexican chocolate and corn tortillas.
“We usually get a lot of surprised looks just for all the different stuff we usually have in it,” Luis said. “But everyone seems to enjoy it.”
Proceeds from the event go to Free Lunch, an organization run by local musicians and artists that serves free meals to the homeless shelter Esperanza Community three times a day. CEO and founder Jazz Mills said she appreciates the extra funding from Jo’s.
“It’s a part of the year that we really look forward to because they generate a lot of support for us,” Mills said. “They require nothing from us, which is really amazing. It’s exactly the type of support that our organizations need.”
UT alumnus Grant Pifer does marketing for the hospitality management company that oversees both Jo’s Coffee and San Jose Hotels. He said food insecurity is a broader problem than people understand.
“At a time like this right now, when resources have become so tight, I think people are strapped for cash,” Pifer said. “Groceries are super expensive right now. It’s super important that we as a community come together to fight food insecurity.”
At the cookoff’s end, the crowd of samplers and dancers grew silent as winners were declared. While Clay Pigeon didn’t maintain their title, they secured second place, falling short of team Blame the Dog. Buckeye on the Bayou swept the crowd favorite award, wrapping up festivities that astronomy senior and attendee Avery Abramson said showcased Austin’s distinctive community.
“Everyone seems to be brought together by their love of chili, which is great,” Abramson said. “This is one of those unique Austin events that you can’t really find anywhere else, and even if you could, I feel like the community is also part of what makes it special.”
