Exotic ingredients helped two locals triumph in Metamora’s first annual Chili Cook-off Saturday, Nov. 10.

The no-longer-secret ingredients in Steve Collier’s creation – coffee and peanut butter – helped him grab the first-place trophy from the judges and also the coveted People’s Choice Award.

Al Rogers believes honey brown beer and a few pinches of this and that he wouldn’t reveal to anyone led to his second-place trophy from the sponsoring Metamora Merchants Association.

The Shonk brothers – Jason from Rushville and Jeff from Columbus, with son Chris – were the first of six teams to arrive at 9:30 a.m. They are serious enough about their soup that they have chili pepper-adorned business cards: Shonk Brothers “Not Yet Famous” Mesquite BBQ Chili, Award Winning Since 2003.”

“I came up with the idea for it,” reports Jason, while Jeff decided on the cooking process – grill burgers over charcoal and mesquite wood chips, then grind them and add to the pot. The siblings conferred about spices by phone. In their first cook-off, they placed second in Rushville.

“We’ve honed the process since then,” says Jeff Shonk.

They set up their equipment outdoors next to a vacant building near the grist mill that had one key component – electricity for the chefs, who kept their creations warm in Crock-Pots.

It was a perfect autumn day – sunny with leaves crunching underfoot. The Shonks could gaze past Metamora’s shops into a pasture where about a dozen horses and three goats were grazing.

Inside the shop by 12:30 p.m., four teams were just finishing up their versions of the wintry soup. David Huddleston, Liberty, used his sister’s recipe for Fiesta Chili. “I tweaked it and she (pointing to wife Betty) tweaked it again. It’s an everchanging process.” This was their second contest after entering one in Richmond. According to Betty Huddleston, “We didn’t place, but had such a great time” there.

A Brookville trio presented Chili Con Carol. Carol Monroe was the head chef, assisted by sister Amanda Abrams and cousin Andrea Arthur. According to Monroe, “There is no real secret” to the concoction. What makes hers special is using ground beef made from black Angus raised by husband Mike Monroe and father-in-law Lester.

Collier used school cafeteria lunches as inspiration for his Smelly Gourmet (the name of his coffee and gift shop) Coffee-Peanut Butter Chili. A favorite combo was chili served with a peanut butter sandwich. “The flavors are a natural,” so he added chunky peanut butter to his recipe for taste and texture.

“I do all the cooking at our house,” the New Alsace resident observes. “Every time I cook it, I cook it different. Last week I made a practice pot. I paid more attention to my ingredients,” deciding the exact winning amounts.

The recipe for Rogers’ entry was handed down through the family, so he calls it Betty and Lulu’s Chili for his mother and grandmother. “The only thing I changed over the years is the brand of beer,” notes the Metamora resident, who used to own an antiques shop there.

Even though the rules said teams had to provide their own cook stoves and fuel, latecomer Jean Sherrard, Oberlin, Ohio, was permitted to use a stove in the shop’s kitchen after she drove four and a half hours from a town 40 miles west of Cleveland.

Quickly heating up what she prepared at home for the judges, Sherrard explained Red’s Mild Chili was created by her boyfriend, Robert “Red” Denslow. Why is it mild? “When you get older, you get careful what you put in!”

The cooking was supposed to take place there. That was no problem for Arthur. “We’re used to family reunions. We can cook in hotel rooms, outside, anywhere.” Each team had to bring all ingredients, utensils and accessories, even water for cooking,

According to organizer George Ginther, one Metamora chef forgot an onion, but was close enough to run back home for it. Another forgot a cutting board, but improvised.

The secrets to awesome chili? “Practice, practice, practice,” says Arthur. “Simmer – the longer, the better,” recommends Rogers. “It’s always better the second day,” adds Betty Huddleston.

Cooking took place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., when samples were gathered for the judges by Ginther. How did he learn how to run a cook-off? “I’ve seen a couple. The rest of it we winged.”

Five out-of-town judges voted for the best chili based on five factors: color, aroma, consistency, aftertaste and, most importantly, taste.

Meanwhile, the mood among competitors was buoyant. According to Jeff Shonk, the competition was not cutthroat like some, but rather “friendly and fun. We all tried each other’s chili.”

The People’s Choice Award was determined by a swarm of hungry tourists, shopkeepers and locals, who stuffed $1 in Mason jars for each sample, with that money going to MMA. While the organization basically broke even this year on the cook-off, members hope to make money next time, says Jo Ball.

In the end, Rogers walked away with a trophy and $80 for his efforts. Collier gained the hardware and $200. The icing on the cake (or would that be the spice in the pot?) was a basket chock-full of gifts donated by the Metamora Merchants Association for People’s Choice honors. When announcing the winners, Ginther said voting in that category was tight. “Three were real close.”

Collier’s reaction? “I was pretty surprised. I knew my chili was good, but I never imagined it would win first place or People’s Choice.”

Debbie Blank can be contacted at (812) 934-4343, Ext. 113; or debbie.blank@ batesvilleheraldtribune.com. To comment on stories, visit batesvilleheraldtribune.com.