The weather in Golden Colorado in December can be brutal-cold, snowy and generally freezing.  Or it can be beautiful.  Usually, for the Downtown Holiday Cookoff it is somewhere in between.  However, on this particular day (and the whole weekend) the weather was on the snowy and generally freezing side.  But as they say - the cookoff must go on. 

  The Colorado Chili Pod showed what it is made of - No indoor cookoffs for these folks.  Bundle up, light those fires, and make the chili hotter.  Thus fortified for the day, the contestants went about their business competing in Red and Green Chili and of course Showmanship.  The Pod was determined that this cookoff would be a success.  We had cooks travel down from Nebraska and Wyoming for this one over treacherous road conditions.  We had cooks picking up cooks due to vehicle problems as well as cooks changing tires in the snow.

It's easy to cook when the weather is nice, or even dealing with a little rain or wind.  Try keeping you fires lit when your propane bottles are freezing.

The kids were a little disappointed that the Holiday Parade was cancelled due to hazardous conditions on Main Street.  But we kept them warm with Hot Chocolate and Apple Cider.

In the end John Montgomery came away with the win in Red.  Karen Hendricks in Green.  and Steve Lee and his Warriors of the Crimson Pepper took Showmanship.

Congratulations to both Steve Lee and his Warriors of the Crimson Pepper and Kyle Haberman and his White Knuckle Chili for qualifying for Showmanship at the 41st Annual Terlingua International Chili Cookoff - with their wins at Golden.

Happy Holidays from Colorado!

For a slideshow of this wonderful event, press on the button below