Duane Hicks
The Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre and Northern Lights Credit Union were the top teams at the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Great Canadian Chili Cook-Off” last Wednesday at the Legion.
The GHAC team—consisting of Cassy Bernard, Leah Galusha, John Payne, Jeff Bernard, and James Woods—garnered the Judges’ Choice award with “The Gizhac Chili Shack” concoction they served up.
“We were happy to participate and promote our organization at the same time,” said Cassy Bernard, the clinical programs manager for GHAC.
“We had a chili cook-off at work beforehand,” she noted. “There was a tie between two top chilis, so we took all of the chilis and came up with a winning chili.
“It’s a little bit on the spicy side so some people didn’t like it,” Bernard admitted.
“But the one that counts is the judges’ one,” she reasoned.
This year’s chili cook-off theme was “New Orleans Chili Gras,” and GHAC’s recipe fit right into it—using an array of ingredients ranging from Creole seasoning and shrimp to beef, pork, bacon, and multiple kinds of sausage.
The NLCU, meanwhile, captured the People’s Choice award with their “Loonie Toonies Big & Rich Chili,” beating out the Seven Generations Education Institute and its “Miskojiisiminaboob” (Red Bean Soup) by just one vote.
“We had a blast doing it,” said NLCU staff member Terri Anne Lundgren.
“We had fun making it, we had fun being here.
“And being a little bit competitive it always fun,” she added. “We appreciate everybody that voted for us.”
Lundgren said her team’s chili wasn’t made from one recipe but rather was a group effort.
“We were all working together and just kept throwing things in,” she laughed.
When asked about why their chili was a hit, Lundgren replied: “I think it had a secret heat to it that you didn’t taste at first.
“It didn’t have that . . . real deep chili powder taste—it has a nice, softer taste.
“And our secret ingredient is bacon,” she confided.
Other teams that competed last Wednesday included Community Living Fort Frances and District (“Rajun Cajun Inclusive Chili”), Fort Frances Tribal Area Health Services (“C’est Si Bon” Chili), and Paul Pirie (“Métis Moose ‘Chilly’”).
With this year’s theme focused on New Orleans, nearly all of the teams got into the Mardi Gras spirit both with decorations and costumes (such as beads and masks) and their recipes, some of which featured shrimp, chicken, spicy sausage, creole seasoning, and more fixings from the “Big Easy.”
In addition to People’s Choice ballots filled out by those who bought a sampler platter, a panel of judges was called upon to score the various entries.
This year’s judges included Carl Scott of “Carl’s Eatery,” Rob Dokuchie of the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Services, and Andy C of 93.1 The Border.
The event also featured a cake roulette fundraiser for the Fort Frances Cyclone Swim Club.
