It all started 20 years ago, when a group of neighbors living on or near Benton Drive in unincorporated Frankfort Square gathered to watch the Denver Broncos take on the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII.
One of the neighbors lamented that the village of Frankfort was holding its annual chili cook-off that same day.
“We should have our own chili cook-off,” chimed in Ken Bucyk.
One thing led to another and the Benton Drive Chili Cook-Off was born.
Two decades later, the event has seen some changes but is still going strong. In all that time, only once has a family not living on Benton Drive hosted the event.
This year’s event, on a cold, rainy Oct. 5, was back where it all started at the home of Ken and Diane Bucyk.
“I founded this cook-off, but have never won it,” said Ken Bucyk with a laugh. “I do have a lot of fun making a chili every year. All I want to do every year is beat my wife’s chili.”
“We have had as many as 18 entries,” said Bucyk. “Most years we average about 10. This year we have eight, mostly because of the rain and cold.”
The cook-off is held at the end of September or beginning of October. For the first 20 years, the previous year’s winner had to play host, which amounted to providing tables and electricity for the dozen or so crockpots that show up holding chili entries from the neighbors.
That will change starting next year. “We decided that instead of sticking it to the winner, we will draw a neighbor’s name to be the host,” Bucyk said.
The rules are simple. Entries cost $5, and aside from no commercial chilis, anything goes. Over the years, there have been green chilis, white chilis, beanless chilis, meatless chilis, chicken chilis and wild game chilis.
“We even had a cacti chili one year,” said Bucyk.
Judges pay $1 to taste. After judging is compete, the chili is free to everyone.
The winning chili nets its chef 70 percent of the pot, second place is 30 percent. “The last-place chili gets its entry back,” Bucyk said.
“There’s always a lot of smack talk going on among the neighbors,” said Bucyk.
“Cheating has been known to occur,” Bucyk said adding that one year, two neighbors combined their chilis as a joke. It came in second.
This year’s top chili came from Lesley Ann Shworles. It was her sixth time a winning the event, which tied her with Kathy Weidner for most wins.
Bob Bong is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
