Oak Park residents compete in chili cook-off

Ella Freeman shows her joy after learning from Danny Smith she had won the chili cook-off at Oak Park retirement community. Photo by Mark Wineka, Salisbury Post

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By Mark Wineka

mwineka@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Ella Freeman has handed down her recipe for chili to three daughters.

It’s one of those family secrets, guarded closely.

“My husband said he couldn’t get enough of my chili,” Freeman said.

Her all-meat, no-bean chili impressed the judges and captured the first annual chili cook-off at the Oak Park retirement community Thursday. She was overwhelmed when General Manager Danny Smith walked over to her table and announced she was the winner.

She immediately stood up and hugged fellow diner Martina Stonehouse.

“I just can’t get over it,” Freeman said. “I’ve just made it for years and years.”

Her family ran drive-in theaters in Elkin and Mocksville at one time, Freeman said, and she dished out this same kind of chili at the concession stands. She learned how to make it from her mother-in-law.

The Oak Park chili contest had eight contestants, and Smith said the final scores were extremely close. Coming in second was Bob Freeman (no relation to Ella). Doris Bosworth was third.

They prepared their chili all day, and most of the competitors set it out in crock pots in the dining room prior to the 5 p.m. judging.

The seven Oak Park judges had the tough assignment of evaluating the chili on the basis of taste and appearance. A paper on the judging tables made it clear that no bribes were allowed

George Strawder, one of the judges, said he preferred chili without beans. “That was how I was raised,” he said.

He’s from Granite Quarry and, as a young man, enjoyed the barbecue and chili made by Sam Shockley, who most people knew as “Mr. Sam.”

“They were all very tasty,” said judge Geneva Hobbs, who’s from Mooresville. She said, for her, chili should not be overly spicy, yet it still has to have a tang to it.

“There were a couple I could eat a whole bowl full of,” judge Mary Rice said. “It was fun.”

After sampling five of the eight chilis in contention, Anne Hollifield said, “I’m still waiting for the perfect one.”

In her chili, Hollifield looks for consistency, medium heat and good texture. She doesn’t like real soupy chili.

She and Pat Cooper, judging with her, said they like the beef in their chili to be finely ground. Cooper, who is from Florida, agreed that she doesn’t like to be overwhelmed by spicy heat. She looks for texture, but taste is the big thing, she added.

Her own chili was always a hit with her family, Cooper said.

“Oh, Lord, yes, I’ve made a lot of chili,” she added.

After she had tasted her last sample and marked her scorecard, Cooper leaned back from the table and said, “It’s a good thing I like chili.”

Other judges included Darrell Nooner and Richard Prest. Nooner said he liked some heat in his chili, but not the kind that made his eyes and ears hot.

After the judging was over, Oak Park residents were encouraged to step up and try all the chili they wanted. Roz Rusch, who was visiting with Jerry Womack, the newest resident at Oak Park, said she could always tell when chili was hot enough, “if the handle of the spoon would bend.”

Womack stopped short of calling himself a chili connoisseur, though he had his share through the years, tailgating included. Womack appreciated that Ella Freeman was the cook-off’s winner. She was the first person to greet him at Oak Park and welcome him with a box of candy.

At Oak Park, Freeman is well known for her graciousness and energy.

“She runs circles around the rest of us, believe me,” Stonehouse said.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.