Pepperdine fraternity Psi Upsilon, along with sorority Delta Delta Delta, entered the Kiwanis 18th annual Chili Cook-Off Labor Day weekend. The fraternity took the “Beach Blanket Bongo” theme of this year’s chili cook-off to heart. Its “surf and turf” themed booth was set up with a surfboard (the surf) next to a putting green (the turf). Passersby were handed a golf club and ball and given two tries to make a hole in one. The prize? Two cups of chili for the price of one.
Matt Patterson, who hails from Texas, had gotten the secret chili recipe from his father. “If you live in Texas, you have to make chili,” he said.
As chief cook, Patterson, aided by fraternity brother Clark Barnett, spent 4-1/2 hours on the three batches made for the competition. According to Patterson, they started with a beef broth, added tomato sauce, secret spices, meat, sausage, kidney and pinto beans. Ingredients were bought at the local Ralphs market and prepared at a fraternity brother’s apartment.
Psi Upsilon has a tradition of competing in the cook-off and the social chair of the fraternity, Dan Morrow, did the organizing this year. Its booth was located on the side opposite the bandstand.
Mark Cooper, who was involved in the cook-off last year, was relieved to see the amount of traffic coming to his booth. “We didn’t know if we’d get as much play on this side,” he said.
The fraternity brothers and sorority sisters broke out into spontaneous chants and cheers. “We got spirit, yes we do, we’re Tri Delts and Psi U,” they yelled. “Come get your chili, hole in one, two for the price of one,” senior Loren Overland shouted out to passersby. The students were friendly and welcoming, and they encouraged youngsters and adults on the putting green while they kept the chili coming. “It’s a great opportunity to give back to the community,” said Overland.