Cooper’s Calling chili cookoff fundraiser nets over $9,000

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The results are in , and the winners have been announced in the Third Annual Chili Cook-Off, held on Oct. 13 at Cooper’s Calling in Tres Pinos: Ricky Uribe and Lindsay Kearn, competing as  “To Bean Or Not To Bean,” took the People’s Choice award, and the Judge’s Choice went to the Headly Family, AKA “The Red Hot Chili Preppers.”

The event drew 13 contestants and more than 400 attendees, and raised more than $9,000 for the non-profit organization, which offers young people with special needs a chance to work with trained therapy horses.

“Every year, it feels like it gets better.” said co-founder Nichole Nijmeh. “We had people who do this semi-professionally come from all over the area, and it always ends up being everyone’s favorite event of the year.”

Uribe attributes his success to making the chili without beans and has competed in seven cookoffs, including three at Cooper’s Calling, for one reason: a targeted vengeance.

“100% of our motivation in entering the competitions was to beat Cal Fire Hollister,” Uribe said. “We wanted to beat them, and last year we did.”

Mark Headly, who led the Red Hot Chili Preppers to victory, has been competing as an individual for ten years. The Preppers participated in the Cooper’s Calling competition for the first time this year. He said he locked in his recipe ten years ago and has been using it unaltered since.

Headly gave the same answer as everyone else when asked about the secret to great chili—“love.” When pressed, he said it is all in the process.

“There are many packaged components to a chili,” he said. “You need to lock in each one individually before adding them together. And for me, it is about a ten-hour process.”

While none of the chefs were willing to go on the record with the magical ingredients that make their chilis unique, they did offer a few not-for-attribution hints—coffee, specific blends of cayenne, serrano and jalapeno peppers, honey, cinnamon and more.

One of my favorites, entered by the Fogerty family (AKA “Charlie’s Master Builder Chili”), used ginger to give it a nice burn and a taste that really stood out. They were the third winner of the day, taking Best Presentation/Decor.

While they did not win based on the chili they served, their booth was the hit of the event for its display of Lego kits put together by their son, Charlie, a rider at Cooper’s Crossing.

“Charlie is a master builder, and we brought as many Legos as we could,” said John Fogerty. “Our family greatly benefits from this cause. It’s a big part of our lives, and we participate in every way we can to help the people at Cooper’s raise awareness.”

(Charlie was featured in a Benitolink article on the grand opening of Cooper’s Calling on Oct. 23, 2022. Their first chili cookoff was held at that event.)

In addition to the tastings, the event included ten vendors, a dunk tank manned by young Tyler Rianda, and a pie-eating contest won by CalFire’s Bear Valley station.

“The proceeds will go toward the $150,000 needed to construct a covered area at the site,” Nijmeh said. “This would help us to increase rider numbers, minimize rides canceled due to bad weather, and make our already sensitive riders more comfortable.”

The non-profit received a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation of San Benito County toward this goal and raised over $20,000 at its annual Kick Up Your Hooves dinner fundraiser in May. Other fundraisers, including bingo nights, are announced through its Instagram and Facebook accounts.

The children who ride at Cooper’s Calling range include those with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder.  Nijmeh said there are no limitations on who the organization will take.

“We want to help serve as many children as possible,” Nijmeh said. “We are 100% donation and volunteer-based. So everything that happens within our operations is from the goodness of people’s hearts.”

Chili cookoff contestants:

Birddog’s Beans
Bringing That Nix-Level Chili
Cal Fire, Bear Valley
Cal Fire, Hollister
Charlie’s Master Builder Chili
Dane! Good Chili
Dead Man’s Chili
Faultline Derby Devilz
The Flavor Flavs
Herbert Alper
Red Hot Chili Preppers
San Benito Cattlewomen

Cooper’s Calling is located at 6980 Airline Hwy in Tres Pinos.  For more information or to donate, call  831-313-3719 or email bailey@cooperscalling.org

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