Harvard Square Stirs the Pot With 15th Annual Chili Cook-Off

{image id=1376218 align=left size=large byline=true caption="The “Some Like It Hot” Chili Cook Off hosted its 15th annual events in Brattle Square on Saturday.}

El Jefe’s Taqueria cooked their way to success Saturday to win the Harvard Square Business Association’s 15th annual “Some Like It Hot” Chili Cook-Off, in which customers thronged Brattle Square to taste-test competing free chili samples from local restaurants.

El Jefe’s came away with the coveted Harvard Square Chili Pot trophy after winning the most votes from customers and four local judges — comedian Danny Killea, Coldwell Banker realtor Gail Roberts, Sullivan Communications owner Martha Sullivan, and Dx co-owner Larry Ward.

The competing restaurants included El Jefe’s Taqueria, Cardullo’s, Charlie’s Kitchen, DoubleTree, Grendel’s Den, The Sea Hag, and Source. They were joined by Amorino, which offered free gelato to attendees. Local drumming group Grooversity also performed at the event.

The judges said they were looking for a number of characteristics that would separate Harvard Square’s best chili from its competitors.

“I’m looking for presentation, and the flavor,” Sullivan said. “You want it hot, but I don’t want to cry.”

The chili cook-off brought Cambridge residents and even out-of-state visitors to the Square.

At the end of the day, El Jefe’s claimed victory of the title of Harvard Square’s best chili. This is the Mexican restaurant’s third time winning the competition in the past eight years.

John F. Schall, the owner of El Jefe’s, said he wasn’t surprised that his restaurant reclaimed the trophy.

“We don’t try to be bashful about our chili, and it’s a real Mexican chili, so there’s some special ingredients to it that we won’t divulge,” he said.

“The only problem with this is when we ever lose, it’s devastating,” Schall added.

Schall said that he came up with the concept for the chili cook-off — an event part of Harvard Square’s Winter Carnival, a series of events intended to draw customers during Cambridge’s colder months — after seeing a lull in the Square’s business activity.

“There’s been times where the Square has gotten a bad rep, where people are talking about, ‘There’s only chain stores here, and it’s not interesting, it’s not fun anymore,’” Schall said. “And that’s just not the case.”

Denise A. Jillson, the executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, said that the competition is a perfect way to bring people together during the winter months.

“People ask, ‘Why are you doing it in the cold?’ Well, because chili will warm you up,” she said.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to welcome people to Harvard Square on a cold Saturday afternoon, the day before Super Bowl,” Jillson added.

– Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at kevin.zhong@thecrimson.com.

– Staff writer Jaya N. Karamcheti can be reached at jaya.karamcheti@thecrimson.com.