The chairs were being piled on the tables. The signs were starting to lean as much as those of us who’d sampled and judged all of the margaritas. And I stumbled out thinking the glory days are back. The biggest and best social event in San Miguel de Allende has been revived.
Having competed at Chili Cookoffs in the past. And knowing what hell you go through up to and during the event…should we add a little more cumin?…I’m thinking Hungarian paprika instead of Spanish, I had to pay tribute to the winners.
So here they are from third to first, just like on the Miss America contest but without the tiaras (which always seem to slip off no matter how much hairspray is trying to hold them there).
The top three winners this year all came from restaurants.
In third place was a contestant who was down near the end of Chili Cookoff line and a lot of us (including me) missed tasting, Aguamiel.
In second place was what restaurant owner Stewart Haverlack from Zumo called “gourmet chili” and I called extraordinarily good chili but only the second best chili.
And the winner. It was from a restaurant I only started frequenting about three weeks ago (what the hell took me so long?). The name of the restaurant is ChupAlitas.
I cornered Debra and Joe Ingram, the owners of ChupAlitas and asked them for their secrets (knowing I might be back in the competition next year, coming out of retirement with a vengeance).
Debra told me, “It was all about the dried chilis. We used guajillos, pasillas, arboles, cascales and one I can’t remember…how I can remember what everything was, I’m too excited about winning.”
“The cinnamon stick”, added Joe, “that made one heckuva difference, tell him about the cinnamon.”
“I’d rather just tell him it was your recipe”, said Debra, “all I did was prep and cook it.”
And the real secret to their chili? I think it was all of the tasty fat. And where did that come from?
“That was probably because we used pork rather than beef”, said Joe.
“Seven kilos of pork leg”, said Debra.
I had Chupalitas in first place. And Don Day’s Wife had them in first place. As did almost everyone else at our table.
Congratulations, Joe and Debra. Amazing chili. Hope you’ll be serving it in your restaurant for now and ever after.
ChupAlitas is located upstairs at Ancha de San Antonio #3 in San Miguel de Allende. It’s obviously worth climbing the stairs.
ARRGGHHH I had my money on ZUMO…as did many I talked to…..
Great! They got our vote too. So pork is the trick along with cinnamon. It was a wonderful event.
That is where are two spoons went as well, yay we voted for the winner! There was a dude that had some delicious meatballs with a side of beans that were really good but he seemed to have disappeared when I went back to try them again.
It was really nice to finally meet you both in person rather than just by email. Really looking forward to getting togther.
Cheers,
Shelagh
Debbie and Joe are great cooks!!! Many congrats go to them both:)
Big congratulations to Team Debbie and Joe @ ChupAlitas!!
Couldn’t have been a better choice for the WINNER! “The ‘heat’ was just perfect,” says my hubby. And I, the one who can’t do HEAT, agree. Just enough picante to make it stand out, not enough to anger my stomach. But the sweet taste did it for me. I wonder if Debbie might just have stirred it with her finger once to add that sweetness?
Like Don Day, we tried Debbie and Joe Ingram’s restaurant, ChupAlitas, a few weeks ago. I had met Debbie at the Mid-Day Rotary Hotcake Feria event, where she had a table. We hit it off and I told her we would try the restaurant soon. (At that time, they were preparing to move from their initial location on the Ancha to the former gallery space directly above Helados Santa Clara.)
We waited until they had gotten settled in the new space, took our visitor from Kansas City (our old stomping grounds and a haven for lovers of good chili) and off we went to see what this ChupAlitas was all about.
It’s all about GOOD! And clever. One of their specialties is salsas. They are displayed and described on the menu in columns, highest being the hottest. The sample they bring with their chips mirrors the columns on the menu with salsas in an ice cube tray, displayed in the same order as the pictures on the menu. Clever.
The space is big, with an open kitchen and food prepared beautifully and served at the right temperatures. The menu is generous, including an awesome “Ensalada de San Antonio,” poppers, burgers, a chili dog to die for, and beer. Several televisions scattered around. Super Bowl ready.
I’ve saved the best for last: ChupAlitas serves the absolute BEST FRENCH FRIES in San Miguel. (Maybe in the world, and I’m a french fry lover.) Just sayin’. Again, our sincere congrats to a great couple and a great restaurant. Ancha de San Antonio 3, above Santa Clara. Go. Eat. Buen Proveche!
Joe, myself and the entire ChupAlitas team send a HUGE thank you for those who came to the Chili Cook Off, and for those of you who voted for our chili. We never expected to win, especially going up against such wonderful restaurants as Zumo, Aguamiel and La Frontera among others. We had such a great time serving and meetng the fine folks of San Miguel and visiters. Thank you for your wonderful comments, see you around town.