Last weekend wasn’t quite “chili” weather, but that didn’t slow down the Outhouse Chili team who became this year’s Grand Champion at the Lenexa Chili Challenge.
Team members Tommy Zschoche, Steve Cashman, Jason Goertzen and Corey Zschoche brought together a winning combination of ingredients, placing well in each of the challenge’s four categories for homestyle chili, traditional chili, hotwings and salsa.
“I’d say we’re still all on cloud nine; it’s been fun,” said Tommy Zschoche. “And we’ve had a lot of people reach out to us to congratulate us. We’re all very into cooking, so it’s been great.”
The Lenexa-based team arrived at the cookoff around 8 a.m. last Saturday, and shortly afterward, each of the team members started out on their special categories: Tommy Zschoche on hotwings, Cashman and Corey Zschoche on the chilis, and Goertzen and Cashman on salsa.
“It was a casual day,” said Tommy Zschoche. “It was fun. It wasn’t exactly ‘chili’ weather, but the weather was awesome.”
Temperatures that day hovered in the 80s.
As to placing well in all four categories this year, Tommy Zschoche said that means the team is “pretty consistent” with their culinary art.
In fact, this isn’t the first time he brought his special hotwings to the competition.
“I won’t give away my secret, but it’s a four-step process, and actually, I cooked for a different theme four years ago and got first place in wings,” he added.
Outhouse Chili team members have cooked together in other competitions for quite some time.
They did make an appearance at the American Royal, Shawnee Great Grillers and the Lenexa barbecue competitions. But this might be the team’s last cookoff for the year.
Check out Zschoche’s Facebook group page, Food 4 Loin, to follow along with some fun culinary activities.
