19th Annual Kosher Chili Cook-Off Held in Dallas

DALLAS – Tiferet Israel on Sunday held its 19th annual Dallas Kosher Chili Cook-Off, a daylong event that benefits local nonprofit organizations. The event was held on the grounds of Tiferet Israel in Dallas, drawing an estimated 4,500 people.

Organizers of the cooking competition called the event the “19th annual funnest, tastiest, healthiest chili cook-off in Texas.” All chili prepared was kosher.

Competing teams included area synagogues and Jewish organizations representing all streams of Jewish life, as well as other community groups and organizations. First place in the beef chili category went to Moishe House Dallas, which was allowed to compete at the last minute after securing a spot off of the waiting list. Congregation Shearith Israel won second place, and third place went to the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. Temple Shalom won the turkey chili category, Congregation Anshai Torah in Plano took home the crown for the veggie chili category, and the People’s Choice award went to the Ann and Nate Levine Academy.

In honor of this being the first year for the traditional beef and vegetarian chili divisions to be supplemented by a turkey chili division, Greg Rosenbaum, President and CEO of Empire Kosher Poultry, which donated the turkey for the contest, attended to share samples of Empire’s innovative Ready to Roast Chicken, a seasoned garlic and herb full chicken which cooks in a microwave in 20 minutes. Ready to Roast also comes in barbecue flavor.

(L-R) Greg Rosenbaum, President and CEO of Empire Kosher Poultry, Rabbi Shawn Zell from Tiferet Israel, Jeff Brown, COO at Empire

“We were honored to participate and to taste the delicious recipes prepared by so many kosher chefs,” said Greg Rosenbaum, Empire’s CEO. “With Empire Kosher’s ground turkey, all the cooks in the turkey chili division were able to make the healthiest, most delicious chili out there.”

Empire Kosher is dedicated to being truly natural, socially responsible and strictly kosher, and is the world’s largest producer of kosher chicken and turkey. Responding to changing consumer preferences and an evolving sense of the responsibilities that go along with producing kosher food items, Empire Kosher offers a wide variety of all-natural, free-roaming, antibiotic-free and 100 percent vegetarian-fed poultry, all with no growth hormones added. Empire uses no animal by-products — only its own 100 percent vegetarian feed mixed to a unique and exacting formula.

“This year’s Dallas Kosher Chili Cook-Off was the best one ever,” said Scott Janco, event co-chair. “It was wonderful to have the support of Empire Kosher, and we look forward to working with them again in future years.”

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Janco’s co-chair, Stuart Roosth, added that the event has grown far beyond just a cooking contest. “It is today a major community event, where we seek to find opportunities to engage people beyond the social and culinary and toward promotion of health and social action initiatives.” At this year’s event, for instance, participants were able to sign up to become bone marrow donors.

Community Homes for Adults, the North Texas Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, and the Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association were this year’s nonprofit recipients of event proceeds. Though proceeds are still being calculated, cook-off organizers anticipate donating at least $4,000-5,000 to these organizations.

At the end of the day, Empire Kosher raffled off nine of the microwaves it brought to the event and donated three additional microwaves to Tiferet Israel.