Team Sperone Wins Big at Chili Cook-off!

Today I have much to celebrate. First of all, it's my son Damian's birthday. Layne and I are so proud of him. He's grown into a fine man, a dedicated and skillful firefighter and a wonderful, devoted father. Not only that, but he and my precious grandson Kai are scheduled to arrive this week for a most welcome visit. Layne and I are looking forward to their holiday with joyful anticipation of a fun trip.

I'm also celebrating my chili team's 2nd place victory on Sunday at the Atenas Charity Chili Cook-off. Composed of our inspiring team leader, Marcial Artavia of Italian Sausage fame, his adorable, hard-working wife Sadie, our dedicated neighbor Jackie and Yours Truly, along with some key help from our husbands Neil and Layne, our group claimed the runner-up spot on our first time in the competition. In fact, Marcial knew little about chili fixing when we began preparing for the contest a few weeks ago. As reported in a previous blog post, team members spent several evenings testing our various recipes, trying out different ingredients and sampling the delicious results. Team members and neighborhood supporters contributed chili powder, a tablecloth, a huge cook pot, a portable stove and emergency tape. We printed some cool business cards and Marcial had an excellent banner made to hang above our table, all with an eye to promoting his line of Italian Sausage, named Sperone, meaning "spur" in Italian in honor of his grandfather's nickname. At the end of the day, however, it was Marcial who served as the ultimate chef, cooking up a three-gallon batch of the chili on Saturday night with some sous chef assistance from Sadie. Little did we imagine coming so close to winning the top prize but that final pot of chili was really first-rate.

A big turnout for the event

Sunday's event was a festive and hugely successful affair with well over the expected 1000 people in attendance and some 30 teams competing for the top prize. No word yet on how much was raised for the charity, Hogar de Vida, the local orphanage, but I feel sure it will easily top last year's $3500 donation.

Sadie at work at the Sperone table

The Sperone Italian Sausage team had a good spot right by an open door, which helped keep us cool, but the strong wind occasionally disrupted our neat space. In fact, at one point a gust blew over and spilled the small box of silver beans that had been deposited by attendees voting for our chili as their People's Choice selection. Poor Sadie scrambled around under tables and across the ceramic tiles trying to recover every single bean!

The lovely 2012 Chili Queen, with Sadie and Marcial

As the day wore on, we began to get the idea that we might have a shot at winning. People were coming to our table commenting, "Everyone is saying yours is the best," and asking for their sample. One of the judges, our friend Jonathan of Vista Atenas B&B, even came back to our table for seconds. We ran out far too early and next year we'll be cooking twice as much.

Teams had gone all-out for the competition, with fancy aprons and matching hats, pots of flowers or other table decorations. Competitors included teams from the bomberos (firefighters), the Marine Corps, Pure Life Development real estate, the Hot Meat group from Guanacaste with their crazy hotdog logo, Jalapeño's restaurant from Alajuela and of course, Texas expats who claim that chili con carne originated in the Lone Star State. It was truly a great day with live music, some dancing, a silent auction and a raffle in which our team member Jackie won a huge basket of goodies from chocolate to coffee to cheese, plus two bottles of good wine. What a day!

Team Sperone takes 2nd Place!

Thanks to all the amazing volunteers who helped set up the tables and signs, sell beer, wine, sodas and hot dogs, solve electrical and other logistical problems, plus clean up afterwards; thanks also to vocalist Francis Jones, MC Tina Newton, the management and staff at Roma Vista resort and especially Kay and Tom Costello, whose love and inspiration brought this event into being. It was such fun and so satisfying to know our efforts contributed to the important work at Hogar de Vida, a loving home for local orphaned, abused or neglected children. Bravissimo! 

Country Roads and Sugarcane

First it was the cornfield next door and now it's the sugarcane. Harvest time in Costa Rica! All over our barrio are sugarcane fields with ripe stalks ready for the cutting. With machete in hand, the workers are steadily hacking them down, loading them on open wagons and hauling them off for processing. The slope next to our house, previously covered in agricultural bounty, is now a bare field covered only in the dry leaves from the cane. Even that will be used, it seems, as we have also noticed cattle in a nearby pasture munching on the brown foliage. It's full employment time for ag workers here as they move from finca to finca doing the hard manual labor of harvesting crops. Layne fantasizes "skiing" or "surfing" down the hillside but with trees and a rocky creek at the bottom, it seems ill advised. Besides, he sold his skis years ago and he doesn't know how to surf!

Cutting....

Carrying....

And hauling....

Right past our front gate!

Our almost-daily long walks take us along many of the cane fields and in our explorations we have discovered some beautiful countryside and charming pueblos. On a recent hike we determined to follow Calle Vanilla (imagine! a street with a name!) to see if it hooked up with the road to Palmares, which connects to our main road along the route into Atenas, in the opposite direction. Heading east, we climbed the long hill toward the distant cell tower and school, then took the left turn onto Calle Vanilla. Then it was downhill for a ways, past a very tiny settlement, and on into a shaded dirt road, the kind you read about in Costa Rica with a rocky surface and knee-deep potholes. Only one car passed us so clearly it's not a common route. At the bottom of the long hill, we passed two boys riding bikes and a small group of people on the side of the road. After the mandatory "Buenos dias!" greetings, I asked if we were heading toward San Jose Norte, a barrio on the road to Palmares. "Si, señora," they said. "¿Mucha distancia?" I asked. "Un poco mas." A little more. Hummm.

Pueblo Vanilla

And quite a "little more" it was. We walked and walked, and as the road headed uphill, we began to wonder if we should turn back or continue on. We trudged onward, confident that if our feet held out eventually we'd come to civilization again. As we emerged from the shady jungles, we came to a gated driveway advertising "Cabinas" for rent. But no one was in sight, so on we went. As the hill leveled out, we emerged into the Pueblo Vanilla, a quiet village of neat Tico homes and the occasional pulperia with bread, sodas, tortillas and eggs.

Stopping at a pulperia for water, we asked directions and again were told it was just ahead, about 800 meters, the woman said. Each 100 meters is supposedly one city block but the measurements are quite loose. Still, we hiked on and at the pinnacle of the next hill, we spied a bus stop on a main road -- the road to Palmares! Turning left we headed toward San Jose Sur (we hoped), walking through a quiet residential area with some spectacular trees along the street. At the next curve we found a restaurant and decided to stop for breakfast or lunch, as it was already past 11:00 a.m. Lucky for us, they had just opened and we scored a delicious meal to break our fast and renew our energies. It was the beautiful Mirador El Pueblo, a popular eatery well known for its excellent seafood and panoramic views of the countryside.

View from Mirador El Pueblo Restaurant

But after our two-hour hike, we had had enough walking for one day so when we finished our meal, we asked the waiter to call a taxi for the ride home. Tired but satisfied with our adventure, we returned to the comforts of a shower and a nap!