Trayling Wins Chili Cook-Off, Bragging Rights

There is definitely a lot of prestige that comes with winning a chili cook-off at the Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department.

The walls of the hallway off the kitchen at Fire Station No. 1 hold the numerous "Golden Spoon" awards presented to past chili cook-off winners. One even has a wooden spoon that Assistant Fire Marshal Guy Trayling painted gold.

Soon, Trayling's name will join those on that wall. He was crowned the winner of the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce's annual "Great Bowls of Fire" chili cook-off Tuesday night.

"It's the first time I won," Trayling said minutes after accepting his award. "Now I can get on the wall."

Eleven members of the Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department — including firefighters and administrators — competed in the event, which Whole Foods sponsored.

Dozens of chamber members served as the judges, sampling each of the pots of chili. Each pot of chili was identified only by a number. After sampling all of the different types of chili, the judges wrote the number of their favorite on a ballot and placed the ballot in a plastic fire hydrant.

Firefighter Clayton Booth admitted to being a little nervous as the competition began. He was, after all, the reigning champion going into Tuesday's competition.

Hired in August 2010, last year's chili cook-off was Booth's first. Last year's recipe, Booth said, was spicy. He had perfected a recipe after experimenting with different ingredients. He ultimately received the "Golden Spoon" award and a "Bowls of Fire" sweatshirt, along with a $50 gift card from a local business.

"I used a couple of different meats this year," Booth said.

The base of Trayling's chili came from a recipe for baked beans that he found in his mother's recipe book.

"I'm going to beat him," Trayling said of Booth. "Clayton got lucky last year."

Trayling loves to cook.

"When I was on duty, I used to do the lion's share of the cooking," said Trayling. Back then, there was a lot of experimental cooking in the firehouse. These days, Trayling said, the fire/rescue staff tends to eat healthier. A firehouse favorite is a tomato stuffed with cold tuna salad.

"We've even had vegetarian chilies, and chili made with venison," said Trayling.

His winning recipe Tuesday night had "a flavor of the spices, but there's a little bit of heat kickback."

He'll now have bragging rights for the next year.

"It is a source of pride," said Trayling. "There's a great deal of competition."