AMHERST, N.S. – Sheila Christie is a three-peat chili cook off champion after winning the 2019 Amherst Winter Carnival Chili Cook Off Feb. 16 at Dayle’s Grand Market in Amherst.
“It’s amazing because I never follow a recipe, so it turns out different every time,” said Christie, after defeating five other competitors to win the title.
The recipe changes year-to-year, but one thing remains the same; dark chocolate.
“I usually use a full bar of pure dark chocolate,” said Christie, who, besides cooking great chili, is also the deputy mayor of Amherst. “It’s something I read about a few years ago and I decided to try it and liked the flavor it gave.”
She also likes a chili that has a good balance of sweet and spicy.
“It’s not just one or the other. It has to be a little bit of both.”
Will she be back next year to defend her title for the third straight year?
“Yes, I think I’ll try again next year. It might be hard to win four times, but I’ll try.”
Daren White, Amherst Volunteer of the Year, was serving chili this year and says he might enter his own chili in 2020.
“I’m surprised there’s not a dozen competitors. It was a lot of fun and a lot of laughs,” said White.