Riverwest Co-op held their Pre-Rockabilly Chili Cook-off Thursday night at Lush Popcorn. The winner of the event will be taking their chili to WMSE’s 23rd annual Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser on March 23, where they will be competing with the best Milwaukee’s restaurants have to offer.
Before that though, they had to best their peers in the all-vegan chili cookoff. While the space was a little cramped, it was very cozy and inviting. Riverwest Co-op seeks to promote a sense of togetherness that was palpable at the event; from the regulars at the bar to the locals coming into try some chili. The competition seemed less about chili, and more about the community around it. These chilis were a few of our favorites.
Strawberry Chili:
The first chili on our list is the Strawberry Chili brought by Bucky’s Rescue mission. The rescue mission is an animal sanctuary for bulls born on dairy farms that would have been killed otherwise. Their chili had a fruit heavy mix of strawberry puree, jackfruit, pear, along with rhubarb, jalapeño and hatch chili. It was seasoned with cayenne, cumin, fresh mints, and “lots of love.”
When tasting it, I was immediately hit with the sweetness distinct fruity flavor. The chili was not very chunky and relied heavily on the puree of fruit. Fittingly based on the cook, the chili paired extremely well with a Spotted Cow.
Vegan White Bean Chili:
The second chili on our list is Manny’s Vegan White Bean Chili. The soupy chili’s key ingredient was a new green salsa from Mango Man, a salsa brand from Madison that was just brought to the Co-op.
Upon first bite, I noticed the warm flavor of the chili, and the kick of spiciness it had. While sweet, it was not overbearing and had a pleasant tang to it.
Super Custom Organic Swamp Sucker Flambe:
Our next entry was a late addition to the competition, with the provocative name, Super Custom Organic Swamp Sucker Flambe. It had a salsa verde base with roasted garlic, green pepper, and chickpeas. To fill out the chili, there was seitan, butter beans, and morel mushrooms. The flambe also had optional add-ons of sesame seeds, pickled red onions, and lime zest sour cream.
For the sake of judging the cook’s intended recipe, I of course ate my chili with the full works. The flamboyant name suited the chili, most fitting was the “Swamp” with its green murky appearance and a distinctive swampy taste. While very busy, the core chili was good and it had a strong taste that hits you like a truck. I just can’t help but feel as if the add-ons hurt it.
“The Tofu Will Be Great, We’ll See About The Rest”:
The penultimate chili is one that comes with a story. Originally submitted as “The Tofu Will Be Great, We’ll See About The Rest,” the chili ended up going nameless. The cook, who went by “Cane Guy,” arrived late to the event and his spot and title card were given to the aforementioned Swamp Sucker Flambe. His chili had a thick mix of various beans and hominy with smoky beef style tofu, green onions and cilantro added into it.
Despite my desire to judge the chili as the cooks intended, I had mine without cilantro as I have been cursed with the soap gene. Still, the chili left an impact even without it, with a rich flavor and perfect texture. It also lived up to its intended name, with the tofu being delicious. In all, the chili had a great balance of taste, spice, texture and liquidity; and earned its place as my personal favorite.
Lush:
And now we come to the final, and most disappointing chili, Lush, the eponymous chili of the host venue. This disappointment had nothing to do with the chili at all, and it actually won the competition. A testament to the quality of the chili was that it was totally gone before I had even finished the second chili on my list. While I may have missed out on it here, I am excited to try it at the Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser on March 23.