Interested in 2010?

The response to the inaugural 2009 event has been so overwhelming that cooks, vendors and sponsors are already signing up for 2010. If you're interested, contact Bryan via phone or email.

Hot Head Contest Featured in Major Engineering Magazine

Hot heads prevail - Contributing Editor Joel Leonard demonstrates the power of an infrared camera at a chili cook-off. ... more

2010 Preparations Underway

Bryan Vaughan reports that 71 cookers have indicated they want to participate next year. He has received a lot of useful feedback to make the 2nd Annual Asheboro Chili Cookoff a great event.

Thank You!

This letter is in response to the amazing turnout that we had for the 1st ever Asheboro Chili Cookoff. I was absolutely thrilled and flabbergasted when the Asheboro Police Department told me they estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people attended this first time event.
After reading some of the interviews that were done on the day of this event, I was pleased to hear some of the responses as to why people came out to enjoy this day with us. These responses ranged from those who wanted to help celebrate this monumental event in Asheboro’s history to those who were just so excited to have another event to look forward to in our great city –a new festival that would bring our community together and help stimulate the economy for our local businesses.
The chili cookers were the heart of this food festival. They spent their time, money and energy making tasty and interesting recipes that drew people downtown, particularly before noon to eat, mingle and explore new retail shops.
Our sponsors made this event possible: Carolina Guns & Gold, KlaussnerHome Furnishings, Lumina Wine & Beer, Fresh Cuts Butcher & Seafood, Riders in the Country, Steve’s Stash, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Grainger Industrial Supplies, Ca John’s Firey Foods, SkillTV.net, Stockton Infrared, The Maintenance Excellence Institute, Chili’s Restaurant and BB&T.
This event caused our town – and my wife, Amy and me - to stretch, learn and grow in many new directions. This was a first-time event with a lot of propane tanks and a beer tent downtown. Members of the Randolph Heritage Conservancy, particularly attorney Mac Whatley and Cindy Wilkins, along with attorneys Steve and Brooke Schmidley with Moser, Schmidly & Roose, local and Raleigh staff of the NC Division of Alcohol and Law Enforcement, staff at Asheboro City Hall, including Mayor David Jarrell, City Manager John Ogburn, Fire, Police and Public Works departments worked tirelessly to ensure a safe, legal and successful festival.
Public relations expert Greta Lint, of Asheboro, who works with festivals and small towns across the Carolinas, guided and managed our publicity, while volunteering her time to create and maintain AsheboroChiliCookoff.com. Her relationships with local and regional media paid off, as indicated by the overwhelming attendance.
Photography students from Randolph Community College, Sam Baucom, Justin Mower and Landon Mathers, worked more than 20 hours straight capturing photos, many of which you see on this Website. They gained a real life experience shooting a festival and working with a highly seasoned PR person.
Joel Leonard, with SkillTV.net, added a dynamic, high-tech component to the festival, the Hot Head Contest. He brought two internationally-recognized engineering experts to the event to show how chili heat works. He also organized the clean-up crew and assisted where needed.
Our chili judges were as diverse as the food they tasted: Rock 92’s Chris Kelly, comedian John Philips, Mayor David Jarrell and national chili writer and author Cyndi Allison.
These volunteers helped in many ways: Ann, Red and Tom Boes; Neil Meish;, Chris Grimes; Lisa and Natalie Baker; George Rider and his manager at Riders in the Country; Mrs. Chin and Matt.
I thank everyone for their time, guidance and diligence in supporting Asheboro’s newest festival. On a personal note, none of this would have ever happened had it not been for the support of my wife, Amy, my brother, Andy and my family. I thank them daily.

Bryan Vaughan, founder/organizer
Asheboro Chili Cookoff

Triad's YES! Weekly Tells More

Thousands get 'fired up' in Asheboro
HOT HOT HOTBy Brian Clarey

They gathered on Saturday in downtown Asheboro to eat chili and drink beer in the street — or, at least, drink beer in a small parking lot off the corner of Sunset and Fayetteville streets. They came to defy the notion, put forth by Forbes magazine, that theirs was the fourth-fastest dying town in the United States in a communal party that celebrated those who are proud to call Asheboro home. And some of them came to burn… their tastebuds, that is! It’s true: As part of the 2009 Ashoboro Chili Cook Off, contestants squared off to see who could consume the most hot sauce. ... more

Hot Head Contest - A Learning Tool with the Pros

Joel Leonard ... Eric Stockton ... Ralph "Pete" Peters ...

The Hot Head Contest was fortunate to have three men who travel the globe working with the engineering and maintenance industries. Ralph "Pete" Peters, founder of The Maintenance Excellence Institute in Raleigh, was the judge for the Hot Head Contest. He trains engineers and maintenance people all over the world. Eric Stockton, owner of Stockton Infrared in Level Cross, travels worldwide photographing buildings looking for leakage and other things. Joel Leonard is an international speaker and writer working to increase awareness about how lucrative the engineering and maintenance fields can be. He is the host of SkillTV.net. Yes, plumbers, electricians and pipe fittters are included in this type of career.

Pete submitted this recap...

Chili cook-offs come and go, but Joel Leonard’s Hot Heads Contest on April 18, 2009 was a very special event. First, the crowd of hundreds learned about “hotness”, then about sauce so hot that medics would be needed if you tried it. They then learned about how to measure hotness of one’s head after eating hot sauce of your choice. It was a head-warming event using the science and technology of infrared imaging, thermography to determine the winner.

So what is so special about crazy people eating bagel bits dipped in hot, hotter and the hottest sauce even made? For one, the thermal imaging system and camera used by Stockton Infrared cost a cool $35-$40,000 and some even much, much more. But the use of infrared scanning pays for itself, ten times over by eliminating catastrophic failures and costly maintenance repairs caused by excessive heat in mechanical and electrical devices. The Asheboro throng of great NC people learned a great deal about one of today’s predictive maintenance technologies.

But, the brave Hot Head contestants were trying to generate as much heat as possible. One brave young man was at 121 degrees F and in the TOP 3 and was going to be our winner. He quit eating the “hot stuff”, waited for the last round of the Top 3 and as a result he dropped to second place in the finals as he dropped to only 105 degrees F

Also something else really special happened as well. As a Judge, I could hear people talking among themselves. Things such as; “Are you kidding me! Maintenance people can use this thing in a plant? And one lady beside him said, Yea Man! You can even use it to check roofs as well for water seepage and leakage down wall. But you gotta be up in a tall, tall pine tree or riding in a helicopter or plane to take them pictures!”

Finally, Joel made the crowd understand the importance of maintenance and this one very important tool; thermography or infrared scanning. Maintenance has gone well beyond the simple tool bag hammer, pliers screwdriver and adjustable wrench days. The Asheboro crowd now understands more about mission essential maintenance, hot sauces and the Scoville Scale for measuring the level of hotness in “hot stuff”. Fun was had by all, even those contestants still on fire after the Hot Head winner had his fire put out with “the old Gatorade water cooler over the head” traditional celebration of his red hot victory.

Ralph W. “Pete” Peters
April 21, 2009
http://www.pride-in-maintenance.com/

Images Throughout the Day

More People Showed Up Than Expected

Asheboro police estimate that 20,000 to 30,000 people trickled into downtown on Saturday, April 18 for the city's first annual Asheboro Chili Cookoff. The weather was a perfect 75 degrees with no humidity and a gentle breeze. Organizers have already started planning the 2010 event.
On Monday, WGHP did a wrap-up story. Click the link to see the story. We were all suprised by the high number of people who showed up. That's what happens when a steady stream of people attends a festival or attraction. The numbers add up throughout the day.

Since WGHP had no newscast on Saturday, they were working with a very skeleton crew and weren't able to come over and get any video. That's why the images from this Website are included in their story -- and again we thank the photography students from Randolph Community College for their work.

39,000 words about the Asheboro Chili Cookoff- 1 pic= 1000 words

Remedies for Pain Caused by Eating Hot Sauces or Chilis

From Wikipedia.... share with a true friend!

Capsaicin is the chemical responsible for the "hot" taste of chilies peppers. This compound is fat soluble and therefore water will be of no assistance when countering the burn. The most effective way to relieve the burning sensation it causes are dairy products, such as milk and yogurt. A protein called casein occurs in dairy products which binds to the active agent in chilies, capsaicin, effectively making it less available to "burn" the mouth. Rice is also useful for ameliorating the impact, especially when it is included with a mouthful of the hot food. These foods are typically included in the cuisine of cultures that major in the use of chilis. Mechanical stimulation of the mouth by chewing food will also partially mask the pain sensation.
Cooling and mechanical stimulation are the only proven methods to relieve the pain, however many questionable tips are widely perpetuated. Since capsaicin in its pure state is poorly soluble in water but well in oils and alcohol, an often heard advice is to eat fatty foods or beverages, assuming that these would carry away the capsaicin. The value of this practice is questionable and the burning sensation will slowly fade away without any measure taken.
Water should not be used to relieve the burning as water opens the taste buds. Milk however has been found to work, as seen on the American TV shows Mythbusters and Food Detectives.

And Forbes said Asheboro was dying?

What do you think? Please add your comments below.

Did Forbes Magazine Show Up?

We'll get back to you on that ... but we did have several other Triad media there.

Chili Cookers

RCC Photography Students Capture the Event

Justin Mower (left), Sam Baucom (right), Landon Mathers (below)

Most of the photos of the street festival that you're seeing on this Website were taken by these highly talented young men who are photography students from Randolph Community College. That school is rated #2 in the world for photography, second only to the Eastman School of Photography in Rochester, New York. We were extremely fortunate to have them help us with this event.

Chili Winners

1st Place - Kevin Hill, Fresh Cuts Meats & Seafood - sells meat, but isn't one to spend time cooking chili in the kitchen ...

2nd Place - Paul Stefanacci - who routinely cooks a lot of chili for his Italian family and the neighbors ...

3rd Place - Rebecca Briles - who has dabbled in making chili for years, but this was her first attempt at participating in a contest

Hot Head Contest recap

This comes from Joel Leonard, organizer of the Hot Head Contest...

Around 18 or so brave people lined up to vie for a really nice gas grill and to test their skills at dealing with heat. Bagels were soaked in hot sauce. Contestants ate them to - and then that's where the fun began.

It only took less than a minute to see reaction on peoples' faces and watch them sweat. The one we all thought would win - didn't. Through the camera's eyes, he had sweated out all the heat. The camera saw him as cool. And the camera tells no lies.

I hope everyone had fun during the first ever Hot Head contest measured with an infrared theromographic camera courtesy of Stockton Infrared. Eric Stockton was a technical master at making sure all of the equipment operated efficiently. Also need to thank the Reliability Guru, Pete Peters for coming all of way from Oak Island, NC to evaluate the readings and provide impartial judging. Also need to thank Lowes hardware for providing the grand prize grill, Grainger Industrial Supply and The Bagel Shop for providing the consolation prizes, Chilis restaurants provided coupons for free kids meals and Lumina Wine and Beer for providing a bottle of Garnache De Fuego to the second place contestant which was actually given to his mother as he was only 19.

Numerous contestants are strategizing on how they can win next year. Several are probably regretting their decision today, after experiencing a real "ring a fire". Liquid Stoopid provided by CaJohns was put out there for display purposes only but numerous daring contestants liberaly poured the one million scoville units sauce onto their bagels. All were notified that this was at their own risk. What a blast to behold as the audience got to see the convergence of stupidty and technology in action. Can't wait to host it next year! Joel Leonard, host - SkillTV.net

5 p.m. - How the Chili Judging Looked

Judges were Asheboro Mayor David Jarrell, Rock 92's Chris Kelly, Salisbury food writer and author Cyndi Allison and professional comedian John Phillips.

They tasted chili and took notes. This is one of the judge's notes. It does not reflect the final winner. Judges did not know which bowl of chili came from which cook. All tasting was done inside The Bagel Shop - which had Asheboro police stationed at the door to ensure the judges were left alone to taste, comment and do their job.

3 p.m. - Hot Head Contest

Some 18 brave souls stepped forth to see how long they could last tasting hot sauce. The winner would take home a brand new gas grill, courtesy Lowe's Home Improvement in Asheboro.

One by one, they fell - either because the heat got them or they just didn't record hot enough on the infrared camera. Then it was down to the final two. All the crowd thought the young guy dripping in sweat surely would win. Wrong. Infrared imaging indicated he lost all of his heat through his sweat - meaning the winner recorded deep, flaming red on the camera monitor.

Jason Tolbert, of Asheboro, withstood all the sauce - even the Liquid Stoopid. He reported that after he was sharing with his dad that he had won, he felt a bird drop, well you know what, on his head. So Jason went through the day getting extremely hot - had 5 gallons of cold water dumped upon him - and then got ... upon.

It's 2 p.m. and we're having a party!

A steady stream of people has come through downtown. Many have gone into new stores - wine shop, toy shop, coffee shop, bagel shop - and have learned about the new pizza restaurant opening. And people have been eating a lot of chili.

Downtown Asheboro - 1 p.m.

It's high noon and activity continues to pick up in downtown Asheboro. Check out some of these photos. People are cooking - sniffing - tasting the chili that's ready to eat - and seeing friends.

This is James from Albemarle. He's a local guy who married a gal from Texas. He better watch her. She likes to kick up the heat and spices a little!