Tastiest hometown competition draws hungry crowd

The public, including businesses, entered the chili cook-off:

• Boschetto’s
• Grillie Wilkerson
• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
• Tip’s Kitchen
• Jack’s Crepes
• Brayden and Eric Fagley
• Oscar Valdez
• Rocket Miner Newspaper
• Emma Granthem
• Kim and Randy Dale
• Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce
• 307 Auto Plaza
• Western Board of Trustees
• Coal Train Coffee Depot
• Jelena Frey
• Kyla Arnes
• Mustang Central
• Peggy Larson
• ABC Mental Health Substance Use Services
• Street Meats
• Whisler Chevrolet
• Mike Babcock
• Anna Moody (Skills USA)

According to Ken Petty, a Rock Springs resident, Boschetto’s chili was his favorite. He described it as their chili having the best flavor.

Petty’s wife, Wanda, on the other hand, believed the chili cooked by Brayden and Eric Fagley was the best.

Sweetwater County resident Annette Bowker agreed with Petty, saying that she’s a fan of Boschetto’s chili.

Rock Springs resident Jessica Yerkovich sampled the chili with her father, John and her brother, Kevin.

“We’re all fans of green chili, but I, myself, haven’t found one that I dislike,” said Yerkovich. “Some are sweet, some are spicy and not all of them taste the same.”

Kim Dale, president of Western, had asked to be released from her contract with the college in October of 2023. She describes participating in the annual chili cook-out as “bittersweet.”

“This is one of the best events of the year,” said Dale. “We’re going to miss it.”

She noted that the ongoing blizzard didn’t stop people from going to the chili cook-off.

“I think the bad weather helped,” she said. “I’m very pleased with the turn-out.”

This year, she and her husband, Randy, switched it from green chili to red chili.

“We wanted to mix it up.”

Kim and Randy Dale’s chili has a variety of spices in it:

• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• ½ tsp of cumin
• ½ tsp of cayenne pepper
• 1/3 tsp of onion powder
• ½ tsp of garlic powder
• 1/3 of salt
• ½ tsp of pepper

Randy suggested to double those ingredients to a pound of meat or beans, add a can of tomato sauce, water and corn starch to thicken it up.

“The cumin really makes the chili,” he shared. “People really like it.”

Judges were given the task to taste and score for first, second, and third place for each red and green chili. Judges included:

• Jeannie Demas, city councilwoman
• Cliff Wittstruck, vice-president for academic and student affairs
• Lynell Williams, Sodexo Food Service
• Taylor Jones, county commissioner
• Leah Lassise, local chef/caterer

The winners of the 2024 Western Wyoming Community College Chili-Cook Off are as follows:

Green Chili

• 1st place: Mike Babcock
• 2nd place: Western’s Board of Trustees
• 3rd place: SkillsUSA

Red Chili

• 1st place: Boschetto’s
• 2nd place: Street Meats
• 3rd place: Brayden and Eric Fagley

People’s Choice: Grillie Wilkerson

Winners will receive branded medals, certificates and Chamber Bucks, totaling $750 from the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Bucks are valid for merchants in Sweetwater County. The People’s Choice winner will receive a gift basket from Western’s Bookstore and of course, the best prize of all – bragging rights for the best chili.