MOSES LAKE — A good pot of chili is its own reward. Still, a little recognition and maybe some cash never hurts. 

“I do a lot more eating of chili than I do making it,” said Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete, one of the judges at Greenpoint Technologies’ annual chili cook-off Monday, adding that he’s the only one in his household who’s a chili fan. “I love chili. I haven’t made it in years, but if I go someplace and it’s there, I’ll eat it.” 

There were eight pots of chili up for sampling, both red and white, with spice levels ranging from baby-gentle to tongue-numbing. The judging panel consisted of Kriete, Presidential Flight Representative Prasad Talaiver, Moses Lake City Manager Rob Karlinsey, Columbia Basin Job Corps Center Director Mike Rios and Columbia Basin Herald Reporter Nance Beston. 

This year was the first time the cook-off has come with cash prizes, said Greenpoint Administrative Assistant Amy Ward, who organized the competition. First prize was $100, second was $50 and third was $25 — plus, of course all the bragging rights that come with making truly masterful chili. For the baking-inclined, there was also a $5 prize for the best cornbread. 

“We put some cash in to make it a little more desirable for people to take their weekend to make chili,” Ward said. “I worked on (mine) Saturday and Sunday.” 

For some contestants, naming the chili was as much fun as making it. Gary Neu, who took first place in last year’s cook-off, brought in a pot of what he called Meat Sweats Chili. 

“I just kind of went overboard on the meats,” Neu said. “I’ve got friends at Ernie’s (Quality Meats and Wine), and they made up a special blend on the meat for me this year.” 

The blend consisted of brisket, chuck and rib roast, Neu said.  

“It was a nice, coarse grind, amazing flavor,” he said. 

Ward’s entry was a chicken chili called Always a Bridesmaid, because she had entered the same recipe last year and taken second place. Her chili resembled a chicken alfredo, with a thick white sauce and just a hint of spice. 

Brandon Ortega — or rather, he said, his wife — had gotten creative with the ingredients for Hillbilly Chili, including cheddar sausages and pecan-smoked bacon. Chris Fetch went a step further with what he dubbed Just Chili; he used pork cheeks and steak from his own livestock. Collista Jeffers’ Been There Done That chili was a variant of an enchilada soup she frequently makes at home, she said. 

The hottest entry was Spicy Beef Chili, made by Perry Waricka, who said he actually toned his chili down for the competition. To make up for it he put two bottles of hot sauce out in front of his entry, one of conventional hot sauce and the other of pepper oil that he said measured 800,000 on the Scoville scale, or about 80 times the heat of a jalapeno pepper. 

“I only put a couple of drops of that one in for the whole Crock-Pot,” he said. 

Leland Thompson’s Smokehouse Texas Chili had hamburger, smoked sausage and chuck roast but no beans. It wasn’t as hot as Waricka’s concoction, but it did have a healthy bite. 

“It came out a little hotter than I was anticipating,” Thompson said. “I know the people here aren’t fans of hot peppers, so I’ve not made my hot chili. Someday I might do that.”  

The chilis were lined up on a table along with rice, cheese, corn chips, onions and jalapenos for toppings. Each participant ladled a small scoop of each chili into a small cup, then went back to their table to consume and compare. The five judges repaired to a separate room for their deliberations. 

“First, we all unanimously agreed that every one of these is welcome to our Super Bowl party,” Kriete said when the judges had finished voting. “It was tough, we were a little bit all over the place, but we did come down to three pretty consistent bowls.” 

Third place went to Thompson. Ward again earned second place, and Fitch took home the grand prize. 

“They were all really, really good,” Kriete said afterward. “It was difficult to decide … They were amazing.” 

    Presidential Representative Prasad Talaiver leads the way as the judges at Greenpoint Technologies’ chili cook-off serve up samples of eight different chilies.
  

    From left: Third place winner Leland Thompson, second-place winner Amy Ward and first-place winner Chris Fetch show their trophies at Greenpoint Technologies’ chili cook-off.
  

    The winning entry, Brandon Fetch’s Just Chili, included beef and pork that Fetch had raised himself.