Mean zine chili: The end of a tasty era of terror

The winner?

​When I talked with back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl Chili Cookoff Champion Kevin Richards just days before the Denver Zine Library's 5th Annual competition, the Librarian wasn't exactly cocky, but was armed with the sort of innocent charm that says, My Nonchalance Is a Cover For My Awesomeness. Which was fair, considering his blue-ribbon stew "usually starts the morning of."

"I kinda look in the cupboard and see what I have," he explained insouciantly. "Maybe I go to the grocery store and maybe I don't -- depends on how broke I am at the moment. Mostly, I just throw things in a pot and see what comes out."

This past Sunday, however, with more than thirty hungry chili lovers in attendance, Richards' reign of tasty terror came to an end.

"I actually dethroned Kevin in the vegetarian category," says Kelly Shortandqueer, the event organizer and first-time entrant. "His chili was definitely delicious as usual, but it was a little bit thinner than the others."

Shortandqueer's winning mélange was, "a little bit thicker, like a stew, with collard greens and beans and lots of veggies."

In the mmm-mmm-meat category, a spicy chicken green chile beat out a chipotle-flavored concoction and a beef chili infused with chocolate. That's right. Chocolate. "It was pretty amazing," Shortandqueer adds.

For more photos of the event, check out the Denver Zine Library event page.