DERY | Leaving Town on a Chili Day

Though I have lived in Rochester for most of my life — and have subsequently attended school in Ithaca — this weekend marked my first local upstate New York Chili Bowl. Upon hearing the possibility of escaping our grimy collegetown house with a near-empty refrigerator for a sunny day in Oneonta sampling dozens of local chili recipes, my housemates and I packed ourselves into a compact sedan and hit the road.

Netflix and Chili?: The 18th Annual Great Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the 18th Annual Great Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-off and eat some truly memorable chili. Of the 39 competitors vying for the title of best chili, some submitted both vegetarian and meat options and some even provided drinks or sweets as palate cleansers. Though I wasn’t able to check out all 39 stands, I’ve included thoughts on the 11 stands I did sample.