Now that the seemingly endless snowfall has hit a stalemate — for now — there are plenty of activities for the Winter Carnival to bring life back to campus.

One of the main attractions is the Chili Cook-Off, held in the Huntington Beard Crouse Hall patio. It will be the source of the delicious smell wafting across the Quad this Thursday, starting at 11 a.m. and ending when it’s all eaten.

The way the contest works is that contestants first submit their recipes to the Syracuse University Traditions Commission by email. Catering Services then mass produce the chili based off the recipes for the judges.  One of this year’s judges, Jane Burell Uzcategui, is the sister of Food Network chef Anne Burrell. The other two judges are Student Association President Boris Gresely and Department of Public Safety officer Joe Shanley, also known as Officer Friendly.

Uzcategui is a professor at Syracuse University and has appeared alongside her sister on television.

Shelby Flick, a contestant, is eager to see how the rest of the competition measures up.

“I hope that I do well, and that they make my chili as close to the recipe as possible,” Flick, a senior broadcast and digital journalism and information studies major, said. “It’s a secret family recipe that’s been passed down through the generations, so I hope that everyone else likes it.”

Ben Glidden, a senior advertising major and coordinator of the cook-off, said having Catering Services cook the different chilies is efficient and practical. Since the competition is open for everyone to come and taste the recipes, the chili goes very fast, Glidden added. It’s encouraged that those who want to try every recipe come as early as possible.

The chilies are spread across several tables and are dished out by Catering Services and students on the Traditions Commission so that every student and staff member has an equal chance to try each recipe. Each batch is labeled, including the name of the recipe and how spicy it is.

The Traditions Commission has moved most of their “Winter Carnival” events indoors, except the cook-off. On a cold day, soups and stews warm people up from the inside out.

Not only will the winners of the cook-off be immortalized in SU chili glory — they will also be given a brand-new set of cookware.

Other events to look forward to during the rest of the week include laser tag, a viewing party for the men’s away game against Duke this Saturday and Glow in the Dark Late Night Skate Night at Tennity Ice Pavilion on South Campus. The rest of the schedule can be found online.

“Every single event we have has free food and prizes,” said Sakina Kader, president of the Traditions Commission. “It’s a great way for students to just get out of the dorms and do something different.”

All the events are free, and all of the university community is encouraged to attend.

Published on February 18, 2014 at 10:45 pm

Contact Claudia: ctceva@syr.edu