Bernie Steinmetz and Chuck Wolf have been cheerleaders, cooks, poets, researchers and servers - all for Tiffin Kiwanis Club's chili cook-off.
The cooks have encouraged their club members, wrote a poem, looked up information about chili, concocted their entry and delivered it to the cook-off diners.
Steinmetz and Wolf - who entered Kiwanis' chili entry in Tuesday's event at Tiffin Middle School - made 5 gallons of chili at Wolf's house Monday night. Wolf said the major ingredients in the recipe were 400 ounces of dried tomatoes, 190 ounces of chili beans, 10 pounds of ground beef and 5 pounds of Italian sausage, for a total grocery bill of $118.
"We look forward to the challenge every year," he said.
Steinmetz said Kiwanis has entered the cook-off for four years, and he and Wolf volunteered to lead the effort its first time.
"We've been doing it ever since," he said. "It's fun. We got to one or the other's house (to cook)."
Wolf said they expect to win every year, but they haven't been successful.
"Some people's tastebuds change, and they just don't know what's good," he said.
Wolf said they have researched chili. Some of its staples are beef, spicy Italian sausage, bell peppers, tomatoes and sweet onions. Steinmetz said he and Wolf put beer in their chili.
"Our secret ingredient this year is Chipotle chilis," Wolf said.
Steinmetz said one year, the cooks made their chili with meat and noodles, and people didn't like noodles.
"We stopped the noodle thing," he said. "You have to bow to the wishes of the judges sometimes."
Robert Marsh, who has been a cook at Carmies Grill & Bar for a month, helped make the restaurant's entry. He said he is used to making a larger quantity of chili than what Tuesday's cook-off required.
Marsh, who came from the College of Wooster, said he previously made quantities of chili that likely were 30-50 gallons.
He said following Carmie's recipe was easy, and it's a basic chili recipe.
"It's good - not too hot, not too sweet," he said.
Marsh, wearing a shirt printed with hot peppers and chilis, said the restaurant's entry is more of a homestyle chili, instead of being one made only for the contest.
"It's what we serve at our restaurant," he said.
The other two entries were Mercy Hospital of Tiffin and Rotary Club of Tiffin.
Bonnie Boroff, president of Kiwanis, said the event had eight entries last year. It serves as a fundraiser for Kiwanis' Key Club. It's an activity students enjoy, she said.
"It just happens to be a nice thing because we involve the Key Club," she said. "'K' Kids also come."
