Chili’s American Grill and Bar, which is one of the institutions of American food in India has announced India’s 1st Chili cook-off at their 2 existing restaurants in Bangalore which are in Phoenix Market City, Whitefield and Orion Mall, Rajajinagar. The culmination of the semi finals at these 2 locations would be at the grand finale which would be conducted at Chili’s 3rd and till now largest restaurant in India which has recently opened on Indiranagar 100 feet road.
The registrations for India’s 1st Chili Cook-off happened offline at Chili’s restaurants in Bangalore and there was also a Master Class which happened where Chef Abhijeet Gomare explained the process of cooking Chili to many enthusiasts. There were participants who were interested in both vegetarian version and beef version of the Chili. Chef Abhijeet gave a live demonstration of both types of Chili using world class Kitchen Aid equipments.
There was interest by both young and old at the Chili’s masterclass which happened on consecutive days at the flagship restaurants at both Phoenix Market City and Orion Mall. Participants who registered got Chili’s branded cap and apron and also got some amazing vouchers from sponsors like Jean-Claude Biguine Salon & Spa, Contiki Holidays and KitchenAid. You can see a video of Chilis masterclass here:
Chili’s India is reviving the tradition of cook-off which is very typical of Texas here in Bangalore. This is a cooking competition where the contestants prepare their dishes at home and get it to the restaurant to get judged by not just judges but also general public! I felt this was a great voting pattern so as to ensure that the voting process is transparent and fair.
I was honored to be a member of the judging panel at 1st Indian Chili cookoff semifinals along with Culinary Champion Chef Abhijeet Gomare and food blogger and baker Neha Mathur of WhiskAffair. The foodie that I’m, I was able to give the perspective of a general public in the judging process.
Participants put in a lot of effort by spending more than 3-4 hours cooking their Chilis and then getting to the restaurant, heating it again and presenting it in a very nice manner. I liked the dedication and sincerity put in by each of the participants.
Chef Abhijeet gave a lot of useful tips to the participants and gave feedback about how they could improve their dishes. He particularly concentrated on few aspects like consistency of the chili, thickness, experimentation and of course the taste.
One aspect which Chef Abhijeet felt lacking was the spiciness or punch factor in any of the Chilis which were made. He did mention that spiciness is not a judging factor as that is not a must-have but a nice-to-have aspect in making of the Chili.
We judged over 20 different Chilis ranging from beef to lamb to chicken to pork to vegetarian. It was wonderful to see such talented participants who knew very well about how to cook the perfect Chili. One participant went to the extent of eating Chili’s official Chili a day before to ensure he gets the flavor and consistency right!
Head over this Sunday to Chili’s Indiranagar outlet on 100ft road Bangalore to be a part of the 1st Indian Chilis cookoff. You could taste all the Chilis made by the finalists and vote for your favorite Chili which will make them win some amazing prizes! KitchenAid Appliances worth Rs.48,000 are up for grabs for the winners including Rs.6000 worth vouchers from Jean-Claude Biguine Salon & Spa and travel vouchers from Contiki Holidays.