Chili & Charros, San Miguel’s 6th Annual International Chili Cook-Off, was held on Saturday, January 28, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., on the grounds of Hotel Real de Minas. The 2012 festival was the largest in its six year history, with more cooking teams, more contestants from the United States, more corporate sponsors, and more attendees and more tourists than ever before. Organizers estimate that at least 2,700 people were in attendance, making it San Miguel’s largest one day charitable event.
The public was greeted at the entrance by Bonito – San Miguel’s famous “tequila donkey” – a crowd of mojigangas, San Miguel’s unique puppets that stand over ten feet tall, and strolling mariachis. From 1:00 to 4:00, attendees enjoyed free tastings of chili and charro beans made by some of the best cooks in Mexico and the United States.
Welcome to Chili & Charros!
San Miguel de Allende Mariachis
The silent auction opened for business at 1:00 p.m., and hundreds of items were available for bid. There was jewelry, art, accessories for the home, clothing, and certificates for hotel nights, meals and services — from spa services to classes of all kinds to activities such as balloon rides, day tours, and horseback adventures. The auction even included a pedigreed puppy!
Fabulous Chili & Charros Auction!
Behind the scenes, 42 cooking teams arrived at 7 a.m. to begin cooking and decorating their booths.
Scott Woodard, last year's Chili & Charros Champion from Houston, Texas
At noon, the judges began tasting CASI (Chili Appreciation Society International) chili, charros and margaritas in the secluded judging area. There were 20 Chili judges (10 in the first round, and 10 at the Final Table), 8 Charro Bean judges and 10 Margarita Judges. Jim Ezell, a member of the Board of Directors of CASI, refereed the chili judging.
Final table judges being seated
Jim Ezell, mamber of the CASI Board of Directors, tallying the votes
Some of this year’s all-star judges included:
Christian Taveli, General Manager of the Rosewood Hotel
Rurik Salazar, Executive Sous Chef at the Rosewood Hotel
Kirsten West, another celebrity chef and author, who was once the personal chef to Mick Jagger,
Maria Angeles Sanchez of famed San Miguel Restaurant Alborada,
Sebastian Acosta, a sommelier and Director of Food and Beverage at Hotel Matilda,
Jose Escamilla, Bajio Regional Director for American Airlines,
Helio Bastian, Director of Ecology for the City of San Miguel,
Juan Jose Alvarez, President of the Business Association of San Miguel,
Michael Coon, Owner of Casa de Cocinas Cooking School,
Ed Clancy, the U.S. Consular Agent for San Miguel de Allende,
Bob Melton, former Texas senator,
Adolfo Cervantez, Transit Director for the City of San Miguel,
Klaudia Oliver, owner of Portal San Miguel, and Inside San Miguel, and
Paulo Velasco, Editor of Perfil San Miguel and Periodico Adiario.
The competition was stiff this year! The current reigning TICC (Terlingua International Chili Competition – the world’s largest chili cook-off) Champion, Larry Walton, traveled with his wife from their home in Waco, Texas to San Miguel to compete.
Larry Walton, current reigning champion of TICC, and Roger Foltz, former champion
Two former TICC Champions, Carol West and Roger Foltz, also traveled to San Miguel to compete. A record 17 teams traveled from the United States to San Miguel to compete in the 2012 San Miguel cook-off. Most of these competitors had never been to San Miguel. They enjoyed several days of “VIP” treatment and they will no doubt return to the United States boasting about the beauty of San Miguel de Allende.
Babs and Doodie Johnson, Susan and Scott Spencer, and Harvery and Carol West
The San Miguel Team Sorting Organization thrilled the crowd with a team sorting competition from 2:00 to 4:30. Twenty teams competed in the rodeo ring. Kirby Guidry, co-president of the Team Sorting Organization, said their competition at Chili & Charros was their “best ever.”
San Miguel's Team Sorting Organization
The marathon of live music began on the main stage at 2:30, with San Miguel’s Va Va Va Vooms performing while at the same time modeling an assortment of hand-decorated denim jackets made by local artists and designers for the silent auction. They were followed by well-known songstress Maria Sanchez, who was followed by dance band La Corporacion.
VaVaVa Vooms with MC Stephanie Turner
Sultry Songstress Maria Sanchez
La Corporacion
There were activities for children all day including face painting, donkey rides and a balloon-twisting clown. Local vendors sold Mexican specialties at very low prices including tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas with mole, spiced fruits, gorditas, churros, cotton candy and more. Five bars were scattered around the grounds selling everything from soft drinks to beer, to margaritas, tequila, mescal specialties, wine and cuba libras.
The award ceremony began at 5:00 p.m. Los Estudiantinas Tuna Real helped liven up the award ceremony with their famous song and dance antics.
Tuna Real on stage during the awards ceremony
San Miguel resident Linda Dixon, an American expat, and her team of Happy Ass Can be Cookers took the day, winning first place for Peoples’ Choice for Best Chili, Best Margarita and the CASI Showmanship award. Winning the Showmanship award entitles Dixon and her team, including Brianna and Alayna Schaff (who performed the Cotton-Eyed Joe for three consecutive hours!) to compete at TICC in Terlingua, Texas in November. Dixon also won two round-trip tickets from American Airlines for travel anywhere in North America or the Caribbean, and a three liter bottle of Tequila Tradicional.
Happy Ass Can be Cookers
Grace Walton of Waco, Texas, placed first in the Best Charro Beans contest. She won seven nights in a gorgeous condo on Playa Ropa in Zihuatanejo. It was graciously donated by San Miguel resident Sally Gibson.
Other winners included:
Scott Spenser of Irving, Texas, 1st Place CASI Chili
Babs Johnson of Dallas, Texas, 2nd Place CASI Chili
Susan Spenser of Irving, Texas, 3rd Place CASI Chili
Scott Spencer being awarded the first place CASI prize, a hand-painted stove by Wendell Rankin
Amy Cox of Dallas, Texas, Best Booth
The Paws Cause, by Amy Cox, winner of the Best Booth
Larry Walton of Waco, Texas, and Don Gill, a part-time resident of San Miguel who hails from Houston, placed second and third in the Charro Bean contest, and Scott Spenser and Scott Woodard, of Houston, Texas, placed second and third in the Peoples’ Choice for Best Chili contest. The first place CASI winner was awarded a Coleman cookstove handpainted by Wendell Rankin, and the others received a a hand-etched bottle donated by local glass factory Guajuye, filled with artisanal tequila.
Hand-blown, hand-etched bottles made in San Miguel by Guajuye, a Chili & Charros sponsor - filled with artisanal tequila purchased in the town of Tequila in the state of Guadalajara!
Those willing to pay $,1000 pesos per person were fortunate to enjoy all of the day’s festivities from the privacy of the Chili & Charros VIP Tent, which was sponsored by Harry’s restaurant. VIPs enjoyed private lounge seating, a private bar stocked with top shelf drinks, four free drinks, a buffet of Harry’s Cajun delights, a fabulous dessert bar, and a special goody bag filled with treats donated by San Gabriel of Dolores Hidalgo, Ablu, Jofreh Chocolates and others. All costs of the VIP tent were paid by donors.
Harry's VIP Tent
After the awards ceremony, one of San Miguel’s favorite dance bands, VUDU CHILE, took the stage for a two-hour performance with guest singer David Garza, who flew to San Miguel from his home in the United States to sit in with the band.
David Garza with VUDU CHILE!!!
The evening ended with a special Chili & Charros fireworks show.
After the sky filled with red, white and green fireworks, "Chili & Charros" burned in the sky
All proceeds of Chili & Charros will be donated to the San Miguel Community Foundation, an Asociación Civil that has been supporting the charities of San Miguel de Allende through bi-annual grants for more than 35 years. In the past year, the San Miguel Community Foundation provided funds to refurbish one of San Miguel’s few fire trucks, and made matching grants for two new, much needed ambulances for the Red Cross.
The new ambulance sat on the grounds of the cook-off - just in case!
The list of SMCF grant recipients includes 48 different charities with Mexican Asociación Civil status. In 2011, the San Miguel Community Foundation donated over $1,000,000 pesos to local organizations in need. Over the past seven years, they have given away almost $10 million pesos. The San Miguel Community Foundation will divide the proceeds of Chili & Charros 2012 between the following charities:
• Apoyo a Gente Emprendedora, an organization that provides seed money, training and mentoring to help impoverished citizens start small businesses in rural areas around San Miguel in order to become self-sufficient;
• Casita Linda, an organization that builds homes for the poorest of the poor in and around San Miguel;
• Mujeres en Cambio, an organization that provides educational scholarships and other assistance to young women in rural areas around San Miguel who cannot otherwise afford to attend school beyond the 6th grade;
• PEASMA, an organization that focuses on environmental education for children;
• The SPA, an organization that provides shelter, care and adoption services for homeless dogs and cats in San Miguel, and
• Cadena Ayuda, a nonprofit that provides room and board, resources and survival advice to male university students from poor rural areas.
The total amount earned at Chili & Charros 2012 will not be determined until the auction items have been completely cleared. Please check our website or our Facebook page (Chili & Charros) for more information on remaining auction items. The San Miguel Community Foundation will announce the grant amounts in early March.
Chili & Charros is only made possible by the generous cash donations of its sponsors and donors, including the 2012 Presenting Sponsors Esmeralda and Harry’s Restaurant. Other 2012 cash sponsors included Mezcales de Leyenda, Longhorn Smokehouse, Zirandaro, Las Ventanas, El Tinieblo, Scotiabank, Guajuye, the San Miguel Tourism Board, Worldwide Insurance Services, Cumpanio, CYTO, Penzi Bodas, Rosewood Hotel, Honda, Bicentario Todo Terreno, Rancho las Sabinas and My House. Corona, Gas Nieto, Lounge Rental, La Pachanga, Casas Plana Renta, Premier San Miguel and dozens of other businesses and individuals donated goods and services to make this event possible. Mary Jones, founder of the San Miguel International Chili Cook-Off, and Backyard Productions of Casa GGG, founded by the event’s Co-Chairs, were the event’s largest cash donors.
Guadalupe Alvarez, with the help of Meengan Cardenas and the rest of the team at Penzi Bodas, worked tirelessly as Event Director in 2012, and Christina Adenfors served in a critical year-round position as Event Coordinator.
“We are so proud of the work that Guadalupe Alvarez, together with Meengan Cardenas and the rest of the employees of Penzi Bodas, did to produce the festival. Chili & Charros 2012 was larger than ever, more beautiful, better organized and more fun for attendees and cooks than ever before,” said Lisa Tyson Sandefer, Chili & Charros Co-Chair. “We are thrilled that she has already agreed to serve as 2013 Event Director. She a heart for the charities of San Miguel de Allende and the many benefits that it brings to the residents and businesses of our city.”
Laurie Sandefer, also Chili & Charros Co-Chair, said “We are pleased that Chili & Charros, thanks to the overwhelming support of the citizens of San Miguel de Allende, has now become an important tradition in San Miguel – part of the beauty and atmosphere of celebration that defines this UNESCO World Heritage treasure. The 2012 festival was a true turning point. For the first time, we invested in a PR firm based in Leon, which resulted in significantly increased exposure for Chili & Charros. In addition to extensive coverage of the event and San Miguel de Allende by Televisa, there were news outlets from Celaya, Leon, Guanajuato and Mexico City in town all weekend reporting on the festivities. Their coverage, together with the increased advertising we posted in the United States, resulted in a substantially higher level of awareness about both Chili & Charros and San Miguel de Allende, and a greater number of tourists who traveled to San Miguel to participate or attend. The event also elevated the San Miguel Community Foundation to a new level of awareness. Many people who were previously unfamiliar with SMCF now have a new understanding of the important work they do in and around our community”.
“Despite several extreme challenges created by conditions beyond our control,” she continued, “we are so grateful to the citizens of San Miguel and tourists who attended and supported Chili & Charros and the charities that we support, each of whom will receive a micro-grant that will make a meaningful difference in their efforts to reduce poverty and increase living conditions in and around San Miguel.”
“Ultimately,” Tyson Sandefer added, “We are extremely proud of the revenue contributions that Chili & Charros now brings to the workers and businesses of San Miguel de Allende. So many people benefit from Chili & Charros in a variety of ways, from restaurants, hotels, home rental agencies and vacation home owners, to taxi drivers and the workers hired by Chili & Charros and its contestants to help mount the event. It truly is a win/win for everyone, including the charities and the workers and businesses of San Miguel, and we look forward to the continued growth and success of Chili & Charros.”
Chili & Charros is always held on the weekend before the Super Bowl. Chili & Charros 2013 will be Saturday, January 26, 2013. We’lll see you there!
