Epstein's Chili Cook-Off 2019

The chili is gone, the votes are tallied, and the food comas have begun; this can only be the result of Epsteins annual company-wide chili cook-off which now included the addition of pies!

All of the entries were spectacular, even the more creative one with the waffles in it, making for a fierce competition.

But as it is a contest, there must be winners. The winners of the 2019 Chili and Pie Contest are:

Cumin Get it! - made by Raveesh Varma on behalf of the Structural Department. Much as the name indicates, the chili is based on a paste made from roasted and powdered red chilies, cumin seeds and black peppercorns, kept simmering for a long time in a little oil. Raveesh had read that Texas chili includes neither beans nor tomatoes, and he followed that; he just substituted chicken for beef and chicken broth for beef broth. He cooked fried chicken cubes in minced onions and garlic, the spice paste and chicken broth for a while, and then added on top minced chicken thigh, which had been browning in a separate pan to make the chili thicker and meatier. Given that this is only the second time he has ever made chili, Raveesh was genuinely shocked by the outcome. Frankly, I had assured my kids we were having left-over chili on toast for dinner!

Yippie Pie Yay! made by Hannah Perl on behalf of the Civil Department. Hannah inherited her prize-winning recipe from her mother, a professional chef, who has tirelessly developed the techniques and flavors over years of trial and error. The ingredient list is simple, but putting this spectacular Dutch Apple Pie together is the trade secret! Hannah has enjoyed baking all family pies for the past 15 years, since the ripe age of 10, and is now accepting pie orders for Thanksgiving!

The additional dishes, their chefs, and departments included:

Chili contestants:

• Mean Genes Chili Beans Dennis Link Architecture
• Netflix and Chili Carmen Brown DesignBuild
• You Had me at Meat Tornado Karen Perri Corporate Services
• Mr. Beefys Revenge Dave Hilty Civil
• Frank n Beans Jay Reddy MEP
• Cumin Get It Raveesh Varma Structural

Pie contestants:

• Aint Nobody got Lime for That! Brian Foss MEP
• Now Watch me Whip Samantha Schneider Architect
• Pie Felicia Criss Paccione-Anderson Corporate Services
• Yippie Pie Yay! Hannah Perl Civil
• Pie-rates Booty Ashanti Carpenter DesignBuild
• Life of Pie Laura Petrocci Interiors
• Bake it Til you Make it John Lach (AKA Jennifer Heiney) Structural

Thanks to all of our participants and congratulations to the victors!