We hadn't actually planned on going to Vermont when we originally scheduled our summer chili trips, but it seemed like such a long stretch between Hudson in June and Wells in late August that we really wanted to get back out there. It didn't help that we had been focusing on all things chili for a few weeks to get the itch! You may have noticed (if not, scroll up now!) that we had our logo redone by a professional graphic designer, a local guy in Fredericton - we wanted to keep the major elements (the lighthouse, the Canadian Flag, and of course, the chili peppers) but Ben was very adamant that our name take a much bigger placement in our logo. After a few conversations and proofs back and forth, he came up with what you see. Hopefully you like it, we definitely do!
Armed with the new design, Michael was quick to get our banner on order, as well as a decal to add to his new personalized NB license plate and chili pepper hitch insert. One pimped out Chili-mobile!
I decided to get crafty in my own way with the new logo and created a few items for use in our booth:
A practice batch on the back deck for PC Chili giveaway, a pedicure - and we're ready to hit the road!
We left home by 6am on Friday morning, knowing we had at least a 9 hour trip ahead of us. A fairly uneventful drive in light rain most of the day had us checking into the Candlelight Motel at around 3:30pm. Michael got right down to business chopping his salsa ingredients while I spent a great deal of frustrating time trying get a WIFI connection. Unfortunately the IT dept - their 12 year old son, was playing soccer and wouldn't be home until 5pm. He never was able to get things working in our room, so whenever I wanted to go online I had to go to a picnic table up closer to the office. Thankfully the weather was beautiful so it wasn't a big deal - except the mosquitos at night were a little thick.
Vermont is every bit as beautiful as I had ever heard so we headed out to dinner and a drive. On the way through to Arlington we had passed by Manchester and I definitely wanted to head back that way to explore a few of the outlet shops. They were all set to close at 7pm, so we didn't have much time but of course I was able to use my time wisely and pick up a couple of things at the Coach store!. (Not a purse this time Angie! I got a laptop sleeve and a cute water bottle).
We found a great little place called Cilantro. 3 young guys serving up burritos, tacos and salads, all with fresh, local ingredients. The special meat of the day was beef tongue, which I decided to forgo for a delicious chicken burrito. A great little spot that we would highly recommend!
We drove back from Manchester past Arlington through to Bennington - even after driving all day it was so nice just to take in the beauty of these places. I only wish we'd have had more time to explore all the little shops and museums along the way. Maybe next year we will have to add a day for this particular cookoff!
Due to the fact the cookoff was part of the town's carnival - the set up and turn in time were all much later than usual so we were able to sleep in and enjoy the morning. We had run into Judi with an "i" the night before a few doors down and when Michael went to get coffee he met up with a gentlemen in the room next to us - the fact that they were wearing the exact same T-shirt from the World's in Charleston left no doubt he was here for the same thing we were. Turns out it was Marc Frechette, along with Linda and Sean McGrath who popped out to say hello. Linda gave us a tip on a great breakfast place just down the road - Chauncey's, so we headed there for a delicious meal, complete with pancakes served with a decanter each of what the waitress referred to as "liquid gold"- Vermont maple syrup. Yummo!
At 10am we headed to the venue to begin setting up. They had a beautiful area set aside for the cookoff lined with huge maple trees to put our booths under. We chose a great spot at the end that looked like it would be shaded all day. For the most part it was, however the sun was strong and present for the whole day so there were a few times it was shining directly on us. We were also directly facing the carnival, so were able to watch and hear the children laughing and enjoying the rides all day.
As usual, once things get started, the day blurs by! We got the booth set up and decorated and were really happy with the new look. Here it is with our new banner:
The cooks meeting was at 12:30 and the People's Choice giveaway started at 1:30, so things started to get busy. The carnival was in full swing, however the crowd was very manageable to low on the chili side of things, it's the first time we actually had chili left at the end of the day. Michael was entered in all 3 - red, verde, and salsa so was kept busy cooking while I worked the giveaway and had some great conversations with the locals and our other chili friends. Here are some shots from the day:
Judi with an "i" made us delicious beef fajitas for a late afternoon snack! They were awesome, thanks Judi!
The turn in time red chili was 6pm, so as soon as that was done we started tearing down the booth, pack up the truck and wait for the announcements. It was about 7:30 when all was ready and we headed down to the judges area.
The first prize handed out was for:
ANY GUESSES!!! Yep! The new banner and booth decorations were well received! Michael's name was called....and then the peanut gallery "made" me go up to accept the win as well, apparently some of them are aware that I help out a bit on the booth decorating side! So exciting!!!
Unfortunately his name wasn't called again as they moved onto the salsa and chili winners, but once again his red chili received some great comments and points. It was a really tight race for red, with quite a few ties - the winning pot won with 7 points - Michael ended up in a 3 way tie for 5th place out of 13 red chili cooks with 5 points for his red chili.
The verde contest was a clear victory for my friend Anne Marie! Her pot earned 16 points, well over the next 2 pots that tied at 10 points each. Michael's green was awarded 3 points, that left him in a 2 way tie for 5th place out of 10 verde cooks.
Anne Marie ended up having a pretty great day! Not only did she win Verde, but she also won the People's Choice competition and received an honorary mention for booth decoration (a prize she has won on many occasions and she was extremely gracious and congratulatory on our 1st win!).
The last couple of Michael's salsa entries have not been well received, not getting any points. Looks like a new recipe is needed to kick it up a notch. He had some great conversations with other cooks that gave him some ideas and options that may help, so he'll be working on that for the next one.
Once all of the prizes had been handed out, we headed back to the motel and sat out in front of our room with our chili neighbors with a pop for some and a cigar or two for a couple. It was a beautiful evening and a really nice way to end a busy day. I convinced Michael at 11pm that we should probably turn in as once again we had a long drive ahead of us. Even so, we decided not to set the alarm and just get on the road when we well rested.
We left at around 8am and again had an uneventful, slightly boring drive back home - arriving safely around 7pm our time.
Another great weekend! Can't wait for the next one in August in Wells, Maine!
Until then.....Chili out!
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