I have been fortunate in my career to participate in a number of professional competitions. But judging a competition is a little different because your decisions affect others, not only your own team. Racers are very serious when the battle begins, and so are chefs! We take competition very seriously. People practice months, sometimes years to perfect recipes. I was asked to judge two competitions between the Pomona and Phoenix races. On Feb. 16, I judged an amateur chili cook-off at the Fiery Foods Festival at the North Market (www.northmarket.com) in Columbus, Ohio. On Feb. 17, I judged the North America Pizza Pizzazz competition (a national pizza competition) at the North America Pizza & Ice Cream Show (www.napics.com). I have to say that I had a great time judging these competitions. I met some wonderful people and ate some incredible food. The Pizza Pizzazz competition had a gourmet category and a traditional category. I judged the gourmet pizzas. This was a dream come true. People from all over the country were competing for the $7,500 first-place cash prize and bragging rights for the year. Judging this competition was not an easy job. All the pizzas were great. But I have to say that the undeniable winner was a step above the rest. Lisa Dodson of Dodson’s Pizza in New Lexington, Ohio, shined with a perfect BLT pizza. At first, I did not know what to think of the idea of a BLT pizza being the winner, but the smell and one taste won my heart. I asked Lisa to share her recipe, but she is taking her recipe international. She is competing at the International Pizza Expo (www.pizzaexpo.com) in Las Vegas in April. Hopefully after she wins this competition, she will pass her recipe on to me so that I can share it with all of you. Good luck! We are cheering for you, Lisa! The chili cook-off was really fun. Every chili tasted different. Some were thick, and some were thin. People used all kinds of meats, including beef, pork, lamb, and a variety of wild game. The spice blends were interesting, too. By mistake, one contestant seasoned his chili with garam masala (a blend of ground spices commonly used in Indian and Pakistani foods). I thought that his mistake was a great touch to his chili. Rich and Cindy were the champs in this competition. Besides being great cooks, they were both very nice people. They are getting married this year. Congratulations! Rich and Cindy decided to share the $100 award-winning recipe with me so that I could share it with you. Enjoy! Rich & Cinful Chili Eight to 12 servings Rich Terapak and Cindy Harshman (soon to be Terapak) Bexley, Ohio Ingredients 3/4-pound ground chuck 3/4-pound ground pork 2 diced white onions 5 diced garlic cloves 2 tablespoons chili powder 5 crushed Thai red chilies 2 tablespoons cumin 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon oregano 6 diced medium tomatoes 1 14-ounce can black beans 1 14-ounce can spicy chili beans 1 14-ounce can kidney beans 1 small can tomato paste 1 cup spaghetti sauce 2 14-ounce cans beef broth To taste, salt To taste, crushed black pepper 1 cup flour 1 cup butter 1 cup whole milk Procedure Brown the beef and pork in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic; sauté for three minutes. Add the chili powder, crushed Thai chilies, cumin, cayenne, paprika, and oregano. Stir frequently for five minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, and beef broth. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Simmer on very low heat for an hour. In a separate nonstick sauté pan, make a roux with the flour, butter, and milk. (Do this by mixing the ingredients and bringing them to a boil.) Slowly add about a cup of the liquid only from the chili into the roux and whisk until blended. Slowly add the roux to the chili. Bring back to a boil for three minutes, stir, and let cool. Season with the salt and pepper.