CIS Competition Celebrates Diversity of Chili and Raises Money for Food for Lane County
The 2nd Annual Chili Cook-off Competition was held on Friday, February 27, 2015 to raise money for Food For Lane County (FFLC) as part of the Governor’s State Employee’s Food Drive. FFLC is a division of the Oregon Food Bank Network that strives to alleviate hunger by creating access to food in the Lane County area.
Chili is a spicy stew containing chili peppers that originated in the American Southwest. Regional variations include tomatoes , meat, and sometimes beans.
This year the competition featured six unique chili entries, with titles such as:
- Dr. Pepper Chili
- Ain’t No Beans
- Texas Vindaloo
- New Mexico Chili Verde
- Smokey Chili of Darkness
- Crockpot of Compassion
With adjectives like “spicy”, “hearty”, “smokey”, and “comfort food”, this event was a big hit for everyone who attended this year. Attendees were encouraged to donate 3 cans of food or $10 to become Tasting Judges and vote for their favorite chili entry. Prizes were awarded to the top three winners of the competition, which included a set of bamboo soup spoons for third place, a bamboo cutting board and mineral oil for second place, and a $25 gift certificate to “Down to Earth Home, Garden, and Gift” in Eugene for first place.
After all votes were tallied, the winner of the 2nd Annual CIS Chili Cook-Off was Matt Cranor, the Grant Administrator for the Computer and Information Science Department. Congratulations to Matt and his “Texas Vindaloo” entry, a creative take on blending the flavors of a classic “con carne” America Southwest chili with Indian aromatics.
Thank you to all the faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate students attended the Chili Cook-Off Contest this year. With 32 attendees, this event raised $220 for FFLC and contributed several additional pounds of food to our Governor’s Food Drive donation barrel. Overall, the department Computer and Information Science Department raised over $1180 over the course of the month of February to contribute to FFLC.
Thank you and we hope to see you next year!
