CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Great football teams and victorious Chile may be more alike than you think.
Both have a perfectly blended roster of ingredients, a mix of spices not lacking in character and flavor, sometimes hot, and perform well in any weather, indoors or outdoors.
And in the end, the winner gets the ultimate prize: a ring!
19 News caught up with the contestants ahead of Chili Cookoff at the 10th Annual Burke Airport Tailgate Society (BATS).
“The Chili Cook-Off is very tense,” said Larry Oliver. “Game? There’s nothing the Browns can do for me at this point, which makes me feel worse than I already have.
“For me, I just know that I put everything in chili peppers,” said Melissa Hazek, whose secret ingredient this year was bacon.
“My peppers are sweet and spicy,” said multiple-time winner Chuck Wertz. “And it’s pretty spicy. You don’t like spicy peppers, you might not like my peppers.
The drama reached a climax as kickoff approached and the winners were announced.
The festive atmosphere overshadowed the tension, and with it being a cook-off rather than a Browns game, the cold didn’t dampen the enthusiasm.
“We have very special ingredients,” Oliver said.
“We’ve been hosting chili cooking contests here for about 10 years, and it’s been a lot of fun,” says Wirtz.
Oliver’s Chili finished runner-up.
“I’m a Browns fan,” Oliver lamented. “I’m used to not winning.”
Wertz, aka Tom Brady of Chile Cook-Off, won again, showing off a ring worthy of a Super Bowl champion.
Copyright 2022 WOIO. All rights reserved.
