Milwaukee’s Great Chiapas Chili Cookoff

[Michie]

The first cookoff was held in 1990 and “some contributors have volunteered every single year for 30 years,” said organizer Rick Sankovitz


Born in Colorado and raised in Milwaukee, Rick Sankovitz is the team leader of an annual event at his Milwaukee parish, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church — the Chiapas Chili Cook-Off. This was established 20 years ago to celebrate the parish’s relationship with the Parish of San Ildefonso in Tenejapa, Chiapas, Mexico. For anyone who loves food, pulling this together must be a terrific gastronomic delight. Note: The proceeds go to support San Ildefonso.

Born and raised in a devout Catholic home, Sankovitz attended Catholic schools and Marquette University. Obviously a man strongly living his Catholic faith, Sankovitz said his parish is small but vibrant, and his fellow parishioners are always involved with what goes beyond the doors of the church building. That explains how he and his fellow parishioners have gotten involved to support the sister parish by participating in the chili cookoff.


Sankovitz said that a parish committee and the pastor, Father Jack Kern, decided to host a chili dinner for parishioners. The first cookoff was held in 1990. Parishioners were asked to sign up and bring their chili creations to the parish hall. “Every year about 35 different chilis simmering in crockpots are brought,” he said. “Volunteers bring it in and serve it to people who attend. People sample all the chilis. Even the chili-makers sample each other’s — ‘Let me try some of yours.’”

“Some contributors have volunteered every single year for 30 years. One staple is a pheasant chili that the volunteer calls ‘The Fowl One.’ We had one with African spices mixed with the regular ingredients. And then we have had some who make the hottest in order to make people sweat the most. One of the most popular is called ‘Ruth’s Radioactive Chili.’”

Continued below.
Milwaukee’s Great Chiapas Chili Cookoff

 

[tulc]

...how have I lived this long in Chicago and haven't heard about this event a couple of hours away from me?
tulc(really likes Milwaukee's AMAZING church buildings!)

 

[tulc]

as an aside, I have often attended the Milwaukee Irish fest held there every year, where you can get in for half price on Sundays if you go to the morning Mass on the site and bring some canned goods for the homeless shelters in Milwaukee. A great deal, a great cause and a great Irish fest all rolled in one!
tulc(has a great story about the first time he did this that he should tell Michie about some time!)

 

[Michie]

as an aside, I have often attended the Milwaukee Irish fest held there every year, where you can get in for half price on Sundays if you go to the morning Mass on the site and bring some canned goods for the homeless shelters in Milwaukee. A great deal, a great cause and a great Irish fest all rolled in one!
tulc(has a great story about the first time he did this that he should tell Michie about some time!)

I’d love to hear it!

 

[tulc]

I’d love to hear it!

Okay, I loaded up a bunch of friends early one Sunday and we drove up to Milwaukee, found the small arena where the Mass was going to be held, turned in our canned goods and sat down to wait for Mass to begin, now you have to remember, it's a sports stadium with a stage set up in the middle of the playing field and we all were on one side facing the stage there were probably 500-600 people there and someone came out and introduced a priest who came from Belfast Ireland to speak and preside over the Mass. So he gave a homily and afterwards there came a point where the audience all stands up at the same time, now remember this is a stadium and what happens when people get out of their seats? that's right all the seats slam into the upright position to make it easier to sweep and clean around them. So when everyone stood up at the same time "BOOM!" all 500-600 seats slammed back into the upright position! Well the priest from Belfast got a panicked look on his face and almost dived to the floor because for all the world it sounded like a bomb had gone off! Now that was an interesting start to that years Irish fest!
tulc(still prays for that guy when he remembers this story)

 

[Michie]

Okay, I loaded up a bunch of friends early one Sunday and we drove up to Milwaukee, found the small arena where the Mass was going to be held, turned in our canned goods and sat down to wait for Mass to begin, now you have to remember, it's a sports stadium with a stage set up in the middle of the playing field and we all were on one side facing the stage there were probably 500-600 people there and someone came out and introduced a priest who came from Belfast Ireland to speak and preside over the Mass. So he gave a homily and afterwards there came a point where the audience all stands up at the same time, now remember this is a stadium and what happens when people get out of their seats? that's right all the seats slam into the upright position to make it easier to sweep and clean around them. So when everyone stood up at the same time "BOOM!" all 500-600 seats slammed back into the upright position! Well the priest from Belfast got a panicked look on his face and almost dived to the floor because for all the world it sounded like a bomb had gone off! Now that was an interesting start to that years Irish fest!
tulc(still prays for that guy when he remembers this story)

Lol! Would of scared me as well. Poor guy!

 

[tulc]

as an aside it also showed who were the people who attended mass regularly and who didn't because the regulars all knew when to stand up and we few non Catholics were caught unawares when they stood up! so not only did it sound like a bomb going off but the late risers seats slamming sounded like scattered gunshots after the explosion.
tulc(was more careful the next year to catch the seat before it slammed up)

 

[Michie]

as an aside it also showed who were the people who attended mass regularly and who didn't because the regulars all knew when to stand up and we few non Catholics were caught unawares when they stood up! so not only did it sound like a bomb going off but the late risers seats slamming sounded like scattered gunshots after the explosion.
tulc(was more careful the next year to catch the seat before it slammed up)

Rotflol. Wish I could of seen the look on that poor priest’s face!