IN PICTURES: The Arts Of Life's Chili Cookoff
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Nov 5, 2012 8:00PM
I attended The Arts of Life's fourth annual chili cookoff at Moonshine Saturday—the first time in Chicagoist's sponsorship of the event—and came away determined to continue our relationship with this wonderful organization that assists people with developmental disabilities through the arts.
It was hard to sample 19 separate chilis, each worthy of contending for the judges trophy. In the end the people's choice awards went to Mana Food Bar for their vegetarian chili (and to Mana's Jill Barron: put that chili on your menu, please. It rocked!) and to the folks who made the "Fat Drunk and Stupid" Creole-inspired chili, an amazing blend of meats.
Those two made my top choices along with a duck chili and a simple Texas style chili, part of a Murderers Row of amazing chili. But it was most fun to be able to speak with the Arts of Life staff and some of the people they're helping with their art therapy: it's wise to keep an eye on the big picture.