Head on over to Habitat in Greenpoint today for their 3rd Annual Chili Cookoff, where ten chefs chosen at random will compete to see who can make the best damn chili. We spoke with one of the cooks, Michael Glennon, to see how he’s prepping for the big competition.Interview after the jump.
3rd Annual Chili Cookoff is at Habitat Bar in Greenpoint, at 988 Manhattan Ave at Huron Street. Chili tasting starts at 6pm, $10 gets you a 2 oz sampling of all ten chilis.
Free Williamsburg: How long have you been making chili for?
Michael Glennon: About 3 years. This is my first time competing.
FW: Describe your chili, as best you can.
MG: I Googled “greatest chili recipe” and clicked, “I’m Feeling Lucky”. It’s got a lot of different things in there. It’s an amazing, straight up the middle, Middle American chili.
FW: What is the secret to making amazing Chili?
MG: My favorite thing about chili is the number of things that go into it. Who knows if any of those ingredients actually impact the end flavor of the chili, but for me, it’s a lot of fun to just say what’s in there. The best chilis can be spooned into a bag of Fritos and topped with nacho cheese.
FW: Why is chili important, in general?
MG: It’s fun and hard to completely mess up. I’m far from a whiz in the kitchen, but chili is something I can make. I’m not intimidated by it. You break out the biggest pot in your house, grab a bunch of crap, and throw it in. It’s like that old tagline for the board game Othello, “A minute to learn, a lifetime to master”. That’s what I think chili is. And because you have to make a lot of it all at once, it’s one of those perfect foods (like lasagna) for entertaining a big group of people without having to slave in the kitchen all day.