The 34th annual Malibu Kiwanis Chili Cook-Off carnival and fair took place over Labor Day weekend, attracting thousands of locals and visitors alike to eat, drink and be merry. The yearly four-day event helps the Kiwanis Club raise big money for numerous local nonprofit organizations, and is also their way of bringing the community together.
This year’s carnival featured 22 rides, and a row of midway games of skill and chance played for prizes. Festivities also included seven chili booths, 40 food vendors, local services and merchandise, and musical acts each day.
Frank Miller, a volunteer with the Kiwanis, has been helping out with the carnival since its very first year, 34 years ago. “I’ve watched kids grow up here,” he said with a laugh. “I embarrass my daughter by telling people she was still in diapers when she first started coming.”
Although the basic event has stayed the same over the years, Miller said they’ve tried different things. “One year we had a circus,” he recalled. “One year, we tried doing it for an entire week, but that was just too exhausting.”
One feature that’s relatively new was the fenced-off wine café near the music stage, sponsored by Hoyt Family Vineyards of Malibu. A sign on the fence joked “Parent Drop-Off Zone.” Kiwanis volunteer Maggie Luckerath said the café was packed with locals on Friday night.
The chili cook-off contest portion of the event took place on both Saturday and Sunday mornings before the fair opened. Each day, the same seven chili vendors competed for a first place prize of $500, a second place prize of $300 and third place prize of $200. All of the judges were locals who volunteered.
Cook-off competitors were given a second shot at prizes on Sunday to give them a better chance of winning — each day featured a different set of judges with a different set of taste buds.
Malibu Rugby Club founder Alex Rylance’s team won first prize in last year’s Chili Cook-Off, making them this year’s defending champions. Like a true chili salesman, he said, “I’ve got the only chicken chili, and it’s healthy, hearty, chicken-licious chili!” Rylance confided that his secret ingredient is star anise.
Tiffany Ficklin, a former Malibu resident who now resides in Camarillo, of “Ficklin Famous Chili,” worked with her father-in-law to come up with a recipe that features pureed pineapple as its secret ingredient. This marks Ficklin’s third year participating in the Chili Cook-Off. “It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun,” she said. “Last year, I got a third place prize, and, this year, I’m hoping to get first.”
The “Mestico Afro-Latin Cuisine Chili” booth, headed by Chef Darrell Gillcrese, was the only booth with two kinds of chili. “Love Muffin Chili” featured beef, bacon and shallots. A vegetarian “Southwestern” chili included Mexican cactus, coconut and two kinds of beans.
“We fuse four cultures worth of flavors and won second place last year,” Gillcrese said. “It took me a year or two to perfect it.”
The judging was supervised on both days by Luckerath, who made sure each chili was rated by each judge on color, aroma, consistency, taste and aftertaste — with taste being the most important.
Saturday’s judges were Yvonne Gelbman, Diane Peterson, Nelda Piper, Rod Summers, Darlene Dubray and Scott Tallal. The winners were Pasadena Men’s Rugby with first, Jersey Jimmy’s in second and Malibu Rugby in third.
Sunday’s judges were Brian Klein, Denise Peak, Jim Marsh, Margott Rifenbark, Linda Zeliski, Amir Falanaki, Chef Patrick Brand and Steven Mindel. Sunday winners were Pete’s Pulled Pork with first, Pasadena Men’s Rugby in second and Mesticos Afro-Latin Cuisine in third. The only entrant to win a prize on both days was Pasadena Men’s Rugby.
One of the long-standing traditions of the Chili Cook-Off is raffling off a brand new vehicle, and this year was no exception. Kiwanis Club members and volunteers sold a limited number of $100 chances to win a 2015 Jeep. At the drawing, which took place on Sunday, Pat Barrett of Long Island, N.Y. was announced as the winner. Kiwanis Club member Sal Cirnigliario said Barrett had bought five tickets when he was in Malibu vacationing.
