SNR Chili Cook-off

Published December 2008
Story Source: Christine Tew

In the six years of the School of Natural Resources Chili Cook-off, only one person has two wins under his belt. That two-time winner title goes to Mark Morgan, an associate professor in parks, recreation and tourism. Morgan won the mild chili category in both 2006 and 2008.

The 2008 SNR Chili Cook-off was held the evening of Dec. 4, 2008, in the Anheuser Busch Natural Resources Building lobby.

Graduating seniors evaluated 11 recipes under the guidance of Janice Faaborg, the official chili judge wrangler. Recipes were divided into two categories for judging: mild and hot.

Morgan claimed the top prize in the mild category, while first place in the hot category went to Tony Overmann, a senior studying fisheries and wildlife management.

The winners received cash prizes courtesy of the School of Natural Resources Alumni Board, as well as St. Louis Cardinals memorabilia donated by Andy Senters.

Overmann credits his mother, Karen, for helping him with the hot category win, his first. The venison-based recipe took two days to prepare and was also his first entry in the annual competition.

"It's homemade – mom's recipe," he said. "But I modified everything mom said when I was working on it."

The top pot in the mild category comes with a much more mysterious background. The only clue the two-time winner, Morgan, would share was that he "bought all of the ingredients at Schnucks."

That second win in the mild category was especially sweet for Morgan, whose entry had a very similar recipe to his 2006 winning pot, he said.

After judging was complete, students, faculty and staff filled the building lobby for a chili supper of the entries.

Everyone was encouraged to donate $1 or more for all-you-can-eat chili, with proceeds going to the Student Council's holiday Adopt-A-Family event. Staff member Sharon Burnham provided additional homemade chili to feed the crowd.