There's a new world's chili champion! He's Tom Hoover of Columbus, OH. Tom has been competing in chili cookoffs for more than a quarter-century and made the biggest score of his life on Oct. 3 in Manchester, NH. These weekend cookoffs are absolutely a laugh riot, fun-for-all family affair, and with a little more publicity (OK, a lot more), many more folks would get involved. Food and drink, music, crafts, the great Carroll Shelby, and the hostess of all ICS' World's Chili Championships, Carol Hancock.
Below is a story on Tom and the cookoff written by his hometown newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch.
Local chili chef pockets $25,000 prize
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 11:54 PM
By Jeffrey Sheban
The Columbus Dispatch
One of the most successful chili cook-off competitors in the nation has added a world championship to his resume - plus $25,000 to his bank account.
And he lives in Victorian Village.
Tom Hoover Jr., 64, placed first Sunday in the 2010 World's Championship Chili Cookoff, conducted this year in Manchester, N.H.
"I'm excited," he said of his first world title in 25 years of regional, state, national and international competition.
"This is the big one."
The former restaurant owner turned residential mortgage broker beat 157 other cooks for the honor.
Participants had to win at least a regional competition to qualify.
Hoover has won top honors in Ohio, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Utah and other states; and is a two-time winner of the Mexican national championship.
His chili is tomato-based with beef cubes. He describes his winning recipe as "extremely spicy but not hot."
"People just kind of go nuts over it," he said.
He sells a slightly tamer version of his spice blend, featuring eight types of chili peppers and other seasonings, under the Happy Trails! label.
The chili mix is available in central Ohio at Bluescreek Farm Meats in the North Market, the Hills Market in the Worthington area and Rife's Market near Grandview Heights; and at www.happytrailschili.com.
jsheban@dispatch.com
