Students participated in the annual Malibu Chili Cook-off for the last year in its current location.
KATE SCHWARTZ
Staff Writer
The temperature was not the only thing hot over Labor Day, the annual Malibu Chili Cook-off celebrated its 25th anniversary of serving chili and thrilling children. The “Malibu Kiwanis” original sign for the cook-off has been dusted off, and is sitting on the corner or Webb Way and Pacific Coast Highway once again. Ferris wheels and carnival booths helped attract many Malibu residents and tourists.
The International Chili Society sanctioned this year’s Malibu Chili Cook-off. There were three categories: salsa, chili verde and the always-popular traditional red chili.
Mariana Aroditis, president of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at Pepperdine, said she looked forward to participating in the Chili Cook-off this year.
Aroditis said, “We have participated in the chili cook-off for the past four years. A couple of years ago many members of the Greek community used to participate in the chili cook-off, but last year we were the only group to make chili.”
It might be the last year that the Malibu Chili Cook-off is held at its current site, as the city plans to build a park and a waste and storm water facility called Legacy Park. The Legacy park will serve to control water run-off and will also provide sufficient area for treated waste water to be evaporated into the air instead of running into the creek or lagoon at Surfrider Beach.
According to a news release from the City of Malibu, the site was purchased by the city for $25 million. Earlier reports had appraised the land at $34 million. Malibu residents hope to preserve the 17 acres as open land, ensuring that it will remain undeveloped. Private parties and local generous donations are funding the project.
Much of Pepperdine’s Greek community has a history of being involved with the annual event. Gamma Phi Beta is sending girls out to support the other Greek groups participating, yet the number of students this year seemed to diminish. According to Aroditis, Theta hopes to continue participating in the cook-off regardless of the decreasing Pepperdine attendance. “When more Greek groups used to participate, fraternities and sororities would group together and the actual day was filled with Pepperdine students hanging out”.
While it may be hard to find a Pepperdine population at the cook-off this year, more than 52 contestants brought their homemade chili to the cook-off with the hopes of winning the $1,000 grand prize.
Our Lady Of Malibu School is a veteran participant at the cook-off.
“We’ve been here for at least ten years, one year I think we even won,“ said Todd West, a volunteer with the school who has worked at the booth for the last two years.
“Margo’s Magic Chili” was the booth to beat at this competition. It was 80-year-old Margo Knudson’s third year at the Malibu Chili Cook-off, but she has been competing nation-wide since 1981. Knudson even won the World’s Best Chili in 1987. Chili seemed to be a family affair as her daughter, Kathy Hipskind, won the world competition in 2004, a title that came with a prize of $25,000. Knudson was Saturday’s winner at the cook-off.
Dan Hammes’ booth, “Rat Shack Chili,” already had many awards coming into the competition. Hammes took home the People’s Choice awards at the Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay in 2004 and in Omaha, Neb. in 2005.
Karen Angotti, a judge at the cook-off, has been judging for the past 10 years.
“There are many things that go into judging the chili, Angotti said. “We take into consideration the consistency, the unique blend of spices, as well as the smell of the chili.”
Pepperdine student Mariana Aroditis said, “We will continue participating in the cook-off regardless of if other groups ever start doing it again, but we hope that they decide to participate so we aren’t the only ones.”
Malibu Chili Cook-off attracts the best of the best, from World Champions to celebrities and even a few Pepperdine students.
09-07-2006