In my country of Panama, we don’t really have anything like the chili cook-offs you find here in the United States. So when the people over at Pahrump Life invited me out to the Silver State Chili Cook-Off, I jumped at the chance. What made it even better was they invited me to be one of the judges for the big event!
Las Vegas is a great place to live. I really enjoy it here. But as any local knows, sometimes you just have to get out of the city. Pahrump is a perfect destination for people looking for a break.
We made the short drive down Hwy 160 to Pahrump. It was my first time visiting this little town and I really enjoyed the small town feel.
As we entered the park, we saw tents set up everywhere. People from all over the region had come for the big event. Whether it was red chili, green chili, or even salsa, these people came to prove they had the best food, and to earn a chance to compete in the world chili cook-off.
In addition to the people cooking, there was also live music, wild west performers, a car show, and booths selling a variety of different goods. There was so much to see!
It was great getting to walk around the park and talking to the different people who were there to cook. They all had such amazing stories about how they got there. But one thing they all had in common was that they were there to win! And I was going to play a small part in deciding that.
After a quick lap around the park, it was time to get serious. I headed inside to get a briefing about the criteria involved for judging chili. I had no idea so much was involved.
After receiving my directions, I grabbed my paperwork and went in to taste some chili!
I went through a total of 2 rounds of chili tasting and one for salsa, and for the most part it was delicious! There were so many great flavors, it made it so hard to pick a top three.
After going around the table once, we had to go back to certain bowls to taste again in order to come up with the winning order. It was hard work, and by the end of the day, I was stuffed! But I think I did a pretty good job at picking the winners. And the best part was that the proceeds from this event all went to help NO TO ABUSE, which is a fantastic charity in Pahrump that helps victims of abuse.
Overall, it was just the day trip we needed. You really feel like you are a million miles away from the big city when you are in Pahrump. But even though it may not be big, this town has a lot going on. Much like the chili cook off, they always seem to have some sort of fair or festival going on. In fact, we are heading back this weekend for an air balloon festival!
Talking with Patti Diamond who is the editor at Pahrump Life magazine, she was also very excited about the upcoming art festival which takes place from May 22-25. She said that there is always so much to do in the city and that her magazine regularly features upcoming events.
If you want to keep up with all that is going on in Pahrump, be sure to check out the magazine online at http://www.pahrumplifemagazine.com/ where you can find out how to subscribe!
We would like to thank both Patti Diamond as well as the magazine publisher Ron Frazier for inviting us out and showing us such a wonderful time. We will definitely be back many times in the future!
Ron Frazier
March 4, 2014 at 10:02 pmGreat article. It was great meeting you. Keep in touch. Ron