OCEAN BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) - Ocean Beach held its 43rd annual Street Fair and Chili Cook-off on Saturday. It's the beach communities' longest tradition.
Obecians woke up early on Saturday to chop up veggies, grind down meat and put it all into a boiling pot of chili.
“We’ve been here since 5:30 cooking,” said one participant.
“This is the formula. If you can crack this formula, you’re going to get the winning recipe,” said Anthony To, Chili Cook-off contestant.
Some came with a strategy...
“Three different types of meats, lots of spices, and then we add some of our bike lane lager, so some California Wild Ales Beer goes in there," said BDeWitt, Owner of California Wild Ales. "That’s our secret ingredient.”
While others throw their hat in the bucket.
“It’s one huge experiment," To said. "We have no recipe; we don’t know what’s going on.”
No matter how you slice or dice it, there’s always room for beginners.
“I googled how to make chili the night before," said Jason Bullard, Chili Cook-off contestant. "I came, made some chili, went home that day, and then [the] next day, they brought me a check for $300 bucks.”
The chili cook-off is just one part of the Ocean Beach Street Fair. Thousands also came to enjoy a wide range of food, music, and local art, as they've done every year since 1984.
“It’s just cool seeing everyone come to OB and appreciate how amazing this neighborhood is," DeWitt said.
