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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Friday They got algorithm Posters about missing teen will be distributed Competition keen at first city chili cookoff Alice Hardesty shares healing memoir Education Ashland schools expand chicken pox exclusion rules Students go behind the scenes at hospital Ashland robotics team aims to build a winner AHS ranked No. 7 by Niche College debt load balloons: What could, should be done? 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Looking Up: Comet passes by the Pleiades Suzette Martinez Standring: Chance advice was eerie Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business NEWS NOW Our View: A matter of survival ... Posters about missing teen will be distributed ... Brammo bought by Polaris ... Our View: A matter of survival ... Posters about missing teen will be distributed ... Brammo bought by Polaris ... ASHLAND Competition keen at first city chili cookoff City employees vie to go on to Elks' competition Comment By Sam Wheeler For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Sam Wheeler For the Tidings Posted Jan. 15, 2015 @ 7:58 pm By Sam Wheeler For the Tidings Posted Jan. 15, 2015 @ 7:58 pm » Social News Spicy competition sizzled inside 14 crock pots during the first ever city employee chili cookoff at Ashland Fire Station No. 1 on Thursday morning. A chunky, fiery, meaty, beanie, stringy variety of chilis, all — but one — handmade by employees of the city of Ashland were entered to win the competition, the champion of which will go on to enter their chili in the Ashland Elks' Chili Cookoff later this month.  Contestants were hovering above their pots inside the fire station’s engine bay, eye-balling wafts of steam rising from the unveiling of other hot chili concoctions.  Judges Denise Daehler, owner of Liquid Assets, and Tom Bean, owner of Pasta Piatti, filled their glasses of ice water and, spoonful by spoonful, the judging was underway.  “So many of the employees work out a remote locations. I have employees I deal with through email and over the phone I’ve never met and so this is just kind of an opportunity to get everybody together and have fun in a lighthearted way,” said Ashland Fire & Rescue Chief John Karns. “It is amazing how competitive people are with their chili recipes. Holy cow.”  Karns decided to organize the event, which he hopes will become annual, after the off-hand remark by one of his colleagues — Tina Gray, the city’s human resources director — that her Sunday football chili was the best in town. “‘Oh really,’ I thought,” Karns said. The rest is history. Turns out, Gray’s “If I told you, I would have to kill you,” chili dish didn’t make the cut and Karn’s ended up entering store-bought Stagg chili. He didn't crack the top three either. Third place went to city utility worker George Duarte. His “George’s Chili Con Carne,” had “everything in it but the kitchen sink,” his entry form said. Second place went to user support technician June Cumings, whose “Backdraft chili,” with beef and pork was chunky-chewy with just the right amount of zang. And first place, much to the dismay of Karns, who groaned during the announcement, went to AFR battalion chief Scott Hollingsworth.  “Oh I’ll never hear the end of this one,” Karns said, as Hollingsworth took a break from adding garnishes of sharp cheddar and dollops of sour cream to his cups of chili and raised his arms in triumph.  The secret ingredient to his bean and beef chili, which he forgot to name, he said, was chocolate.  Reach freelance reporter Sam Wheeler at [email protected]. By Sam Wheeler For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Sam Wheeler For the Tidings Posted Jan. 15, 2015 @ 7:58 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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