On February 17, 2017 Concordia University Dining Services (CUDS) teamed up with the Concordia University Chicago football team. Retail Catering Manager Sofia Quirk and Executive Chef Olivera Amour were in contact with Head Coach Randy Awrey and Coach John Preston to put together this event. There were seven different teams creating their own Chili to be featured on the soup line in the KCC Dining Room –the top three winners have their chili recipes following their team members for you to try at home–. This was the start of having the CUDS team up with CUC football and have decided to try and plan more things in the future. They would like to do similar and different events as this one. In the seven teams there were several different football team members, as well as one chili being made by Coach Preston.
The first place team consisted of Thaddous Daniels as team captain with Trevaugn Collins, Demetrius Rufus, Leroy Bridges, Deshawn Battle, Andrew Darge, Randell Newton, Christian Bouassi, Kenneth Catron, and Nick Dalton helping him bring home the chef’s hat.
The recipe they used was:
3 Cans of diced tomatoes with Jalapeno flavoring
2 Pounds of ground beef
2 Packets of hot chili mix
2 Cans of hot chili seasoning packets
Entire bottle of sriracha
And finally 3 tablespoons of Cayenne Pepper
The second group following the leader was lead by Ryan Allison and had help by Luke Bussard, Brett Krueger, Aaron Gaines, Ivan Vixamar, Isaiah Rincon, Caleb Casey, Justice Silvera, Isiah Alvarez, Lance Moise.
This recipe called for:
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 Pounds ground beef
2 Stalks celery
1 Chopped onion,
1 Green Bell Pepper.
3 Chopped (14 oz.) cans of stewed tomatoes.
1 Can of diced tomatoes (10 oz.)
1 Can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (like RO*TEL)
1 (14 oz.) Can of tomato sauce
1 Cup of water
2 Packages of chili seasoning
1 (14 oz.) Can of kidney beans, not drained
1 (14 oz.) Can of pinto beans, not drained
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon of white vinegar.
The third group was Zakary Ripp and his team John elish, Aaron Gaines, JR Bussard, Orlando Hayes, Emilio Araiza, Liam Blake, Angel Lepe, and Samuel Lytton.
Their recipe consisted of:
3 Tablespoons of Olive oil
3 Cups of sweet vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced in small pieces. (about 2 medium/large onions)
1 Large Jalapeno pepper, diced small (the seed are where the heat is concentrated; included or discard them based on your preference for spice)
7 to 8 Ounces canned green chilies, do not drain (used as mild heat)
4 Garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
4 Cups of low-sodium chicken broth
4 Cups of cooked shredded chicken (can use one full store bought rotisserie chicken or can roast your own in a skillet)
2 – 15 Ounce cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon of lime juice
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Teaspoon of dried oregano
1 Teaspoon salt, or can add to taste
1 Teaspoon black pepper
½ Teaspoon red chili flakes
¼ Teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1/3 Cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced
For garnish you can add colored or plain tortilla strips, chips, crackers, diced avocado, shredded cheese, and/or sour cream.
In fourth place came Shane Vernala’s team consisting of Will Wassman, Robert Padilla, Rudy Payan, Niko Powel, Cody Schwab, Drake Latta, Ernell McCray, Ben Parker, and Brandon Kowalkowski. In fifth place was Rob Granquist with the help of Devonte Wilson, Gideon Coble, Jesus Fernandez, John Drynan, All Day, Jeshua Torrens, Corey Dooley, Matthew Pizana, and Kareem Dabney. Then in the sixth place was Anthony Lonigro’s team with contributions from Daryus Lemons, Michael Surace, Marco Grigoletto, Kelly Christian, Christian Brown, Randy Nava, Julian Alfaro, and Nicholas Ruiz. Coach Preston entered his own chili to help motivate the team to participate in teaming up with CUDS.
The winning team received a certificate from CUDS for each member for winning the Chili Cookoff. Their chili will then be featured as one of the soups in the Crossroads Dining hall for either a lunch or dinner. Quirk and Chef Oli want to do more events like this and be more involved with other clubs on campus. Be on the lookout for more events like this and the Valentine’s Day Dinner coming up in the next two months and for next fall. Also, check in soon for more recipes form Concordia University Chicago’s football team’s chilies.
