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Red Hot Chili Fest 2008!

Go Downtown!

Ithaca's Chili Cook-Off and Winterfest is just one of many events that take place downtown. Find out more!

• Downtown Ithaca

One recent weekend, I stepped outside my house on Prospect Street (just two short blocks from downtown Ithaca) and immediately smelled the chili as the wind on the Commons slowly wafted uphill. It was a welcomed aroma, this being my personal favorite of the Ithaca community events, Chili Fest (more formally known as the Great Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off and WinterFest). The annual celebration is a bit more hard-core than others. On previous years, I’ve stood in lines for hours in the freezing cold just to grab chili samples from my favorite places. Luckily, this year’s event garnered sunlight and moderate temperatures; but it was still cold enough to appreciate the warmth of the chili.

Chili Fest is a chance for many local restaurants and organizations to showcase their favorite recipes. As such, each server, from Taste of Thai to Ithaca Ale House, adds their own unique culinary twist to the conventional components of chili. The spiciness of the samples range from scorching to subtle -- the texture, from chunky to pureed.  In terms of tasting, the event is a vegetarian-friendly place where many stands offer bean and lentil chilis. Perhaps the most revered of that bunch came from Juna’s Café and local vegetarian staple, Moosewood Restaurant, both of which served their samples indoors (a big plus!).

Chili was only one of the draws though. Every year there are lots of family-friendly, festival attractions, like live music, bull riding, and karaoke, to tide over queuing patrons. But nothing beats the satisfaction of finally holding that one chili you’ve been searching for and digging into it with your plastic spoon -- even if it took seven previous samples to get there, like it did for me.

Held between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Chili Fest, when it’s over, invites afternoon naps for those overzealous in their tastings -- again, like me. But upon waking, you'll start counting the 364 days left until it happens all over again!