Silverado couple going head to head in chili cookoff

Heather Cory

Bob Wiseman divides his award-winning salsa power into containers at his home in Silverado on Sept. 17. Wiseman started selling chili powers and seasoning over the Internet and at chili cook-offs in November 2005.

By Ashley Livingston (contact)

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 | midnight

Heather Cory

Bob Wiseman holds out his salsa, made from scratch and his own salsa powder, at his home in Silverado on Sept. 17.

The World's Championship Chili Cookoff will run 11 a.m. to 6 p.m daily Oct. 10-12 at the Tropicana Hotel Casino, 3801 Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Competitors will vie for first place in three categories: Chili Verde, Traditional Red and Salsa.

The event will include live music, chili tasting, retail vendors, the Miss Chili Pepper and Mister Hot Sauce contests and food and drink. Admission is free, however, guests wishing to partake in the chili tasting must purchase a tasting ticket. Chili tasting will run 1-3 p.m. daily.

The spicy salsa was created for the Tropic Chili Cookoff in June 2006. Wiseman won first place at that event and qualified for a past World's Chili Championship.

1 cup red bell pepper, diced fine

1 cup green bell pepper, diced fine

1 cup yellow bell pepper, diced fine

1 cup orange bell pepper, diced fine

1 cup minced scallions

14 Roma tomatoes, diced small

1/2 cup white onion, diced fine

1/2 cup red onion, diced fine

1 teaspoon RealSalt or sea salt

1 tablespoon Allthingschili Salsa Seasoning (available at Allthingschili.com)

2 extra Roma tomatoes chopped

1 large jalapeno chile pepper, chopped (optional)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon, fresh preferred

1 cup cilantro, chopped coarse

1/2 teaspoon red serrano chili pepper, minced (optional)

Add all the diced bell peppers into a large mixing bowl. Mix to blend, then add the scallions and the first batch of Roma tomatoes, white and red onion, sea salt, ATC Salsa Seasoning; mix thoroughly.

In a blender add the 2 extra Roma tomatoes, jalapeno chile, garlic, lemon juice; blend to a mush. Add the blended items and the chopped cilantro to the salsa and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least four hours, or overnight.

Taste for flavor and, if necessary, add more salt and cilantro. For more heat add the minced serrano (as much as you might like).

Upon arriving at the August qualifying round for the World's Championship Chili Cookoff in Del Mar, Calif., contender Bob Wiseman realized he forgot half of his ingredients at home.

Armed with only the meat and veggies, the cook-off veteran had to borrow something here and there from his fellow competitors.

Once the last minute concocting and cooking was done, Wiseman was chatting with a friend when much to his surprise a cookoff attendee rushed over to be the first to congratulate him on his first-place win.

Having narrowly gotten through the qualifier, Wiseman will soon vie for a top spot in the green chili category as well as the salsa category during the upcoming world championship in Las Vegas.

He will also try his luck qualifying for the championship's red chili cookoff in a last-chance qualifier to be held at the event.

While the Silverado resident has yet to win a world championship (he has competed in seven), his home is decorated in plaques, trophies, ribbons and other remnants of past glories that represent hundreds of other contest placements.

They don't all, however, belong to him.

One of Wiseman's toughest competitors is his wife, Jodi Wiseman, whom he met at one cookoff and married at another.

While his wife, who works in human resources at a gaming company, will also compete in the world championship, Wiseman said they don't really have much of a rivalry.

He said he figures no matter which one of them wins, someone is bringing home a trophy.

"She and I have a habit," he said, "if she doesn't win, I will or vice versa."

Aside from being competitors, both he and his wife are qualified judges.

As a judge, Wiseman said he looks for a smoothness to the chili and of course it's got to be a mouth burner. "When you get to the judges, if it's got that heat, and the heat's holding, then you have a chance," he said.

In addition to holding the heat, the chili must meet other specifications such as being made with meat, red or green chili peppers and absolutely no beans or pasta.

While Wiseman has been honing chili-cooking skills since 1982, a heart condition diagnosis in 1994 caused him to rethink some of his ingredients and preparations.

Placed on a diet that restricted sodium and fat, Wiseman made a few alterations to his chili cookoff recipes that included using water to brown the meat rather than oil or grease.

His healthier concoctions continued to bring home the trophies.

His new diet also inspired the self-proclaimed "scribbler" to pen a new cookbook full of healthy Southwestern-style dishes.

Since that time Wiseman has published two other cookbooks and has more in the works.

Gesturing to the kitchen, he said, "This is the workhouse. I'm in here eight hours a day working on new recipes."

Wiseman said he considers himself a full-time writer (he also writes about history) and a part-time chili cook.

His cookbooks are available through his online store, Allthingschili.com, which also sells his homemade salsa seasoning, Champion Blend chili powder mix and numerous ground chilies.

Ashley Livingston can be reached at 990-8925 or ashley.livingston@hbcpub.com.

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