A tale of two chili cook-offs: Security forces brings the heat Published March 11, 2013 By Senior Airman Elizabeth Van Patten 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- The sweat poured off several of the six celebrity judges as they sampled each of the nine simmering pots of chili in the competition with names such as, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" "Butt-Busting Brew" and "Bearkat Chili". The aroma of spices, peppers and various secret ingredients wafting from the crock pots continued to linger in the air even after the last bite was devoured. The event was the Third Annual 94th Security Forces Squadron Chili Cook-off. Growing each year, the cook-off is open to absolutely anyone with a desire to enter and potentially garner coveted bragging rights of best chili on Dobbins Air Reserve Base. "Every year we get bigger and better," said Capt. Robert Mayes, 94th SFS operations officer. "The first year we had ribbons. This year we have some engraved trophies." Following the tradition of best practices in chili cook-offs, the SFS chili cook-off uses third-party, independent judges along with a scientific, blind taste-testing process. "We have a very deliberate process here to make sure everything is fair and above-board," said Mayes. "There are no names, only numbers to reference each entry. This is a tried and true process for our third and best year." Additionally, the building in which the cook-off took place was secure with the judges under the vigilant protection of the armed SFS Airmen. The security made it impossible for the judges to be moved by anything other than the chili - which, admittedly, caused some judges to move quickly. Judging the competition this year were Lt. Col. Erin Manning, 94th Mission Support Group deputy commander, Neil Bethune, 94th AW antiterrorism officer, John Mikula, 94th AW exercise physiologist, Mike Reardean, Dobbins Consolidated Club general manager, Lisa Stevens, 94th Force Support Squadron chief of services and Jeff Cooper, of the 94th AW Information Protection Office. As a veteran judge, Bethune gave words of caution to the other judges. "Some of this chili is so strong and spicy, it could be used to mitigate a known threat to the base," said as by-standers began offering Self-Aid Buddy Care to already beet-red Bethune. Serving as a chili cook-off judge for the first time, Mikula said he enjoyed being a judge and was impressed with the hard work of the participants and offered a small piece of fitness advice as he was among the judges who also broke a sweat. "Chili is actually not a bad meal for recovery after a workout," said Mikula. "Chili has a lot of protein and carbohydrates. Nutrition-wise, it's got a lot of fresh foods and is typically low in fat. After I'm done here, I'm going to see how fast this chili will make me run around the track!" Subject-matter expert and first-time judge, Reardean is known for his food service background. He offered a professional opinion to what he was looking for in the best chili. "At the end of the day, I think the biggest thing is trying to find out the unique spices that are in each one," said Reardean. "A well-rounded chili is seasoned properly, not just with salt and pepper. I'm looking for color, consistency and texture." Finally, rounding out the judging was the mathematical-minded Cooper. "I am strict in my judging, using the 13 adjudicative guidelines," said Cooper. "We should have, between us, statistical significance to within two standard deviations." Garnering first and second place were Master Sgt. Scott Laflamme with his "Tora! Tora! Tora!" chili and Staff Sgt. William Burke's "Boom Boom" chili, respectively. The race between the two chilis was so close, there was initially a tie, which had to be broken by an additional round of scientific judging. Surprising everyone by coming in and dominating at third place was Travis Ellis, of Mobilized Fuels, Inc. and member of the Dobbins Honorary Commanders Association, with his "Anonymous Chili". "This is likely the most special award I have ever received," said Ellis. "To know that I am in esteemed company of the past and current chili-makers is just such amazing treat and a tribute to all the sweat and hard work I put into my product." Next year, Ellis plans on adding some extra heat to his already high-quality list of ingredients which include filet meat and an assortment of fresh peppers. Lagging behind the pack in second to last place, Mayes encouraged participants of other squadrons to enter next year's competition to determine if they can really bring the heat like security forces. To enter the SFS chili cook-off email Capt. Robert Mayes at robert.mayes@us.af.mil. No judges were permanently harmed in the judging of this event. As a preventative measure, each judge was issued a pack of Tums.
