I’ve judged a few chili cook-offs in my day, but I was beyond honored to be asked to judge Southwest Airline’s 39th and Last Chili Cook-off (and no, it’s not really the last, but I’ll explain that later.) Although many tried and true chili recipes have passed these lips, I’ve never had the pleasure of tasting real-deal, authentic Texas chili. When we arrived at the event, held at Sandy Lake Park just outside of Dallas, I met with my fellow judges to learn the rating criteria and The Dish Trip crew got to work filming and tweeting all the fun for us to share.
Sandy Lake is chock-full of traditional fairground fun, from rides and amusement tents to games and, of course, tables of teams offering up their homemade chili. Made with lots of love from the LUV airline, this chili cook-off is a true company event where more than 4,000 employees, families and friends come annually to offer their support. The energy and excitement in the air was just enough to pull me from the lure of the tilt-a-whirl and bumper cars to focus on my judging duties.
As a judge, the first step was to rate each team’s Showmanship through their fun decorations, music, themes and skits. We all had a good laugh over the Communications Department (including the Emerging Media Team) political campaign spoof where opponents Rick Centercut and Pinto Fartenheimer debated the qualities of all-beef chili or chili with beans. The elaborate skit included protesters, folks “occupying” Sandy Lake and even incriminating evidence against a candidate a la Watergate. One of my favorite team displays was from the Maintenance team, which had a covered wagon on display, a cast-iron cauldron, an open grill and a talented band strumming and singing traditional Texan tunes. This is their go-to routine every year, but it was new to this girl. Maybe it was the tourist in me but it won my heart as a traditional Texas display. We left the winner of Best Showmanship up to the attendees and the vote for most applause went to The Communications Department!
Showmanship: Best in Show
1st Place – Culture and Communications
2nd Place – Maintenance Production (Chuck Wagon)
3rd Place – SWAPA
For the second step it was time to get a taste of the chilis. The blind tasting included lots of chilis with various heat levels and combinations. I was told that “real” Texas chili has no beans and should make your spoon stand up. The ones I liked the most had a variety of meats and, according to the teams, they used anything from venison and wild boar to pork. One team even joked that they used fresh roadkill (I hope they were kidding?). The judges weighed in with the following winners:
Top-Five Chili Cooks: Judges’ Choice
1st Place – Maintenance Control
2nd Place – SWAPA
3rd Place – M&E Regulatory Compliance
4th Place – Finance
5th Place – Cabin Services
There are few times in my life that I’d consider it a good idea to eat more than 20 types of chili and then go on amusement park rides. This was one of those few times. One of our Dish Trippers, Danielle, didn’t handle the combo very well (sorry, Danielle!) but it was a great way to end Southwest Airlines’ 39th and Last Chili Cook-off with. This company knows how to party! Kudos to SWA for having such an amazing company culture. It was a true honor to be a part of this incredible annual event.
And just in case you all were wondering, each Cook-off is named the "__th and Last" as a tribute to the first Cook-off. When it started there was serious doubt whether Southwest would still be in business to host another Cook-off, so it was named the "First and Last Chili Cook-off."
Don’t forget to follow DishTrip on Twitter @dishtrip or friend Dish Trip on Facebook. Dish Tip for a Dish Trip? Do you have a favorite city or food destination that we should know about? Click here to shoot us a recommendation.
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The LUV airline adores the City of Brotherly Love, especially since Dish Trip (Southwest Airlines’ food correspondents) are based out of this great beer city. In honor of Southwest’s appreciation for Philadelphia and its vibrant craft beer culture, we are offering up a sudsy contest for a chance to attend the 5 th Annual Philly Beer Week that kicks off on June 1!
Here’s how you enter: Tweet a creative photo and caption to @SouthwestAir and #SWALUVsPhilly to show us how Southwest showers LUV on Philadelphia—the City of Brotherly Love no later than Thurs., May 17 at 5:00 p.m. CT.
Here’s what you’ll win: We’re giving away a VIP prize package to the 5th Annual Philly Beer Week, which includes two roundtrip Southwest Airlines tickets, two nights at The Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia located in the heart of downtown Philly, and a beer-infused brunch for two at Jose Pistola’s. You’ll also win two VIP tickets to the Opening Tap and two VIP tickets to the International Great Beer Expo on June 2.
Photo Courtesy: The Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia
Established in 2008, Philly Beer Week has become the city's pride and joy—the largest beer celebration of its kind in the United States. The entire annual event is to honor “America’s Best Beer-Drinking City,” with the celebrations jump-starting on June 1 with the official Opening Tap celebration–which features a ceremonial “first tapping” by Philly’s Mayor Michael Nutter on the first official keg of the week: Brotherly Suds 3 (a collaboration beer concocted with a band of local brewing comrades). The International Great Beer Expo tasting event on June 2, 2012, will feature an incredible variety of beers from some of the finest U.S. and international breweries–more than 50–while raising money for Philly's Committee To Benefit The Children. Check out this video for a preview of Philly Beer Week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfGjsc4JbFw
Southwest Airlines debuted their service to the city of Brotherly Love on May 09, 2004. What started as 14 daily nonstop flights to 6 cities has now progressed to 33 daily nonstop departures to 13 cities (how cool is that!). Better yet, with Southwest maintaining nine gates in Philadelphia, they’re offering 203 jobs to locals. Many future beer cheers to the LUV airline!
Don’t forget to follow DishTrip on Twitter @dishtrip or friend Dish Trip on Facebook to follow along with their own Philly Beer Week adventures. Dish Tip for a Dish Trip? Do you have a favorite city or food destination that we should know about? Click here to shoot us a recommendation.
OFFICIAL RULES
“Southwest LUVs Philly” Contest
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.
VOID IN PUERTO RICO AND WHERE PROHIBITED.
1. How to Enter the Contest
a. Southwest Airlines “Southwest LUVs Philly” ("Contest") will begin at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, May 10, 2012 and will end at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 17, 2012.
b. To participate in the Contest, you may enter via the following method:
Tweet a creative photo and caption mentioning @SouthwestAir and #SWALUVsPhilly that illustrates “Southwest’s LUV serving Philadelphia and Philadelphia being known as the City of Brotherly Love." All entries submitted will not be acknowledged or returned. By entering, Entrant grants Sponsor an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, freely transferable license to use the photo for all purposes, in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter devised. Photos must not be copied. Entries may not violate any third party rights nor use any third-party intellectual property such as logos or background signs. Entrants acknowledge and agree that their entry does not violate any rights of privacy or publicity and that they have the written permission of those appearing in their photo to submit their image. Entries must not disparage; contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, or vulgar; or promote bigotry, racism, hatred or discrimination based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation. Use of any device to automate entry is prohibited. Proof of submission of an entry shall not be deemed proof of receipt by Southwest. Southwest Airlines computer is the official time keeping device for the contest. Southwest is not responsible for entries not received due to difficulty accessing the internet, service outage or delays, computer difficulties or other technological glitches. By entering this Contest, you agree to abide by these Official Rules.
c. One entry per person is permitted. Any person found using multiple email addresses or Twitter accounts to enter will be found to be ineligible.
2. Eligibility Restrictions
a. The contest is open to all legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older and the age of majority in their place of residence as of May 10, 2012. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited or restricted by law. The contest is open to legal residents of the United States and is offered only in the United States. Employees of Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways, and the members of their immediate families (spouse and parents, children and siblings and their spouses) and individuals living in the same households of such employees are ineligible to enter or win. The contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
b. Only one winner per household is permitted in any Contest administered by Southwest.
c. Entrants are required to provide truthful information and Southwest will reject and delete any entry that it discovers to be false or fraudulent. Southwest Airlines will disqualify any entry from individuals who do not meet the eligibility requirements, and Southwest Airlines will also delete any entry received from persons under the age of 13 in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
3. Prizes:
a. One (1) Grand Prize to consist of two (2) roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines from the closest airport to winner's residence served by Southwest Airlines to Philadelphia International Airport good for travel to/from the Philly Beer Week opening weekend taking place on June 1 and June 2, 2012 (subject to Southwest Airlines terms and conditions; certain restrictions may apply), two (2) night-stay, double occupancy at The Four Seasons Philadelphia, and brunch at Jose Pistola’s for the winner and their guest, and two (2) VIP Opening Tap Tickets and two (2) VIP Big Beer Expo Tickets. APV for Southwest Airlines tickets is $400 each ($800 total), APV for two VIP Opening Tap Tickets and Two VIP Big Beer Expo Tickets are $300, APV for brunch at Jose Pistola’s is $100, and APV for two-night Four Seasons Philadelphia hotel stay is $790. The total APV of grand prize is $1,990. Grand Prize tickets are non-transferable, and winner and their guest will be filmed during the Philly Beer Week events for use on Southwest Airlines’ internal and external communication channels. No prize substitutions, cash equivalent, or transfer of prizes permitted except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Prize subject to availability and the Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to award a prize of greater or equal value if the advertised prize is unavailable. Taxes are solely the responsibility of the winner.
b. In the event that a prize or prize certificate is mailed to the winner, it will be with the prior written consent of the winner and therefore, winner assumes the risk of its loss. Sponsor is not responsible for the safe arrival of a prize or prize certificate.
4. Selection of Winners
Decisions of judges with respect to the Contest are final. This is a contest of skill. Your chances of winning depend on how well your entry reflects the judging criteria, as compared to the other entries in the contest.
The judges will be judging on the following qualities:
Creativity and Originality: 20%
Entertaining: 25%
Southwest Appeal: 35% photo should reflect our Culture and Fun-LUVing Attitude.
Rules: 20% Read and complied with the official rules.
a. The top photo and story submission will be selected by a panel of judges. You need not be present to win.
b. Potential winner notification will be made by Sponsor via email. Potential winner must execute and return any required affidavit of eligibility and/or liability/publicity release in which they agree to hold Sponsor and its parent, subsidiary and affiliated corporations, and the officers, shareholders, directors, employees, agents and representatives harmless against any and all claims or liability arising directly or indirectly from use of the prize or participation in the Contest. Affidavits will be mailed or emailed based on the potential winner’s preference beginning May 22, 2012. Affidavits must be executed and returned within seven (7) days or prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner may be chosen. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the required affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release within the required time period, or if a prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize. Upon timely completion of required affidavits and release, winners should expect to receive their prizes in the mail by May 29, 2012.
5. Conditions
a. Payments of all federal, state and local taxes are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winner may be required to sign an IRS Form W-9 or the equivalent.
b. By participating in the contest, the winner agrees to have their name, voice, or likeness used in any advertising or broadcasting material relating to this contest without additional financial or other compensation unless prohibited by law, and, where legal, to sign a publicity release confirming such consent prior to acceptance of the prize.
c. Southwest Airlines is not responsible for lost, stolen, mangled, miss-delivered, postage due, illegible, incomplete or late entries, telephone service outages, delays, busy signals, equipment malfunctions and any other technological difficulties that may prevent an individual from entering or claiming a prize.
d. Southwest Airlines, in is sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the operation of Southwest Airlines website or is otherwise in violation of the rules. It further reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the contest if it is not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort.
e. Sponsor reserves the right to make changes in the rules of the Contest, including the substitution of a prize of greater or equivalent value, which will become effective upon announcement.
f. Failure to comply with the Contest rules may result in a contestant’s disqualification solely at the discretion of the Sponsor.
g. The Sponsor is not responsible for typographical or other errors in the printing, the offering or the administration of the Contest, or in the announcement of a prize.
h. Copies of the written Contest rules and a list of the winner (when complete) are available during regular business hours at Southwest Airlines, Emerging Media P.O. Box 36611, Dallas, TX 75235-1611. For a winners list, send a self-addressed return envelope, after May 29, 2012. All requests must be received by June 15, 2012.
6. Sponsor:
Sponsor is Southwest Airlines Co., Emerging Media, P.O. Box 36611, Dallas, TX 75235-1611.
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04-29-2012
08:44 AM
12 Loves
I loved the rotating pictures on the midlife road trip blog- they get my vote
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i have know and been togther with the love of my life since Oct. 1985 we fianlly got married May 17, 1997. I wanted to make sure he was the one. hehehe. no we just were so much in love and felt married and forgot that we weren't . We decided that we better make honest people out of ach other and stop living in "sin" and get hitched. It was so lovely and we were happy and still so much in love. Sadly we do not met the qualifications. I really was all set to participate too. Number one is because we have been to Riverwalk twice and loved it both times and would love going back. Number two , we didnt get enough time there due to my hubby as working at the time so we had to just sneak off and only spend an hour or so running around as fast as we could. Oh my was I exhausted and so was my sweatheart and we were young at the time. Imagine. The reason I am using the words "number one and two is due to one of my favorite movies COLD MOUNTAIN. Reminds me of me and my now husband. I missed him so badly when he was off working for weeks at a time then he would come home for only to to three days, this went on for years. Such sad years.
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I blame one fateful night in college for my aversion to tequila. I don’t remember much about that experience except running in the snow, barefoot, and waking up surrounded by pulpless limes and an empty salt shaker...followed by a three-day hangover. My palate has since rejected the nutty taste of tequila, and for that reason, I have avoided it like the plague. That is, until a recent trip to Mexico.
As you may already know, Southwest Airlines recently partnered with Volaris Airlines to connect Customers to Mexico. To mark the occasion, Dish Trip teamed up with José Cuervo to celebrate the release of their 2011 Reserva de la Familia (the family reserve) with a trip to Guadalajara and the José Cuervo estate in Tequila, Mexico (yes, that’s actually the name of the town!).
I was excited to embark on this experience, but I felt like a fraud traveling to the home of this world-famous tequila brand when I could barely stomach the taste. After a fun-filled flight from Philly to Chicago, I had the pleasure of experiencing my first Volaris flight. WOW! Unlimited complimentary drinks and snacks are a great way to kick off a trip. Since I had to get used to it, I started off with a José Cuervo drink. This proved easier than I thought, as the drink of choice (recommended by our adorable Flight Attendant) was a Paloma—a light, fruity drink with a fizz consisting of José Cuervo Traditional, grapefruit soda OR Squirt (a lemon-lime soda), and a lime wedge. This went down smoothly. So, without hesitation, I ordered a second one. Apparently, GOOD tequila makes all the difference.
We joined a group of other journalists in Guadalajara and stayed at the Camino Real Hotel, which proved to have gorgeous grounds and a spectacular brunch (I still wish I had more time to explore all the brunch options available). After a city tour of Guadalajara, we enjoyed shopping in the Tlaquepaque district and then lunch at a restaurant called Adobe Fonda , where we filled up on local favorites like ahi tuna pastor tacos, duck tacos (my new favorite) fried cheese, and guacamole. Let me just a take a minute to talk about the guacamole in Guadalajara. It’s one of the most amazing things I've EVER had. Why? Many restaurants mix pomegranate seeds or dried fruits into the creamy dip, which add a truly amazing sweet flavor and a variety of textures.
That night, we had dinner at Corazon de Alcachofa Restaurante (meaning the artichoke heart), where they focus on locally produced, organic, gourmet dishes. Dinner standouts were the fresh fish, 36-month-aged Spanish ham, and the crème brulée. I washed all of this down with my first taste of the Jose Cuervo Añejo (extra aged) tequila, which has an amber color and a smooth, rich, and complex flavor that went down nice and easy, almost like a cognac.
I had a renewed respect for tequila and was excited to continue my love affair in its eponymous hometown. Our Tequila adventure began the next day with a trip to the agave fields surrounding the city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The red volcanic soil surrounding this region is particularly well suited to the growing of the blue agave. We also learned that Mexican laws state that tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco, so real tequila can only come from this area.
Take a look at the video for the full behind-the-scenes look at the José Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Party and the inside scoop on how José Cuervo is made!
Key takeaways: 1. Don’t try to mount a donkey in a dress. 2. Be a good guest; bring a gift. 3. Don’t mistake the head tequila taster for a butler, but DO ask him to dance cause he has the BEST dance moves.
As a thank you for inviting us to the 2011 release of Reserva de la Familia (the Cuervo family's finest tequila), we brought along two beautiful bottles of Victory Brewing Company’s beer, Golden Monkey and V-12, and presented them to our gracious host, Don Juan Domingo Beekman, the owner and heir of José Cuervo. He enjoyed our gifts and even gushed to us about his passion for micro brews. We love sharing the Philly love!
For over 10 generations Reserva de la Familia was a family secret only shared with the closest of friends. In 1995, to celebrate their 200-year anniversary as the world's leading producer of tequila, the Cuervo family decided to share this blend of its special tequila reserves with people who truly savor an exceptional taste sensation, and it was a true honor to get a taste and celebrate this year's release with the José Cuervo family!
Head over to dishtrip.com for more information, and, if you're in the Philly area, stay tuned for an upcoming tequila tasting, which will feature some of the best José Cuervo tequilas I sampled on my trip! As always, follow us on Twitter @dishtrip or friend us on Facebook for more dining details in a city near you. Thanks for reading and watching—we’ll see you on the next Dish Trip!
For more information about flying Southwest Airlines to connect to Mexico click here: http://www.southwest.com/html/air/intl/index.html.
For more information about the Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia click here: http://www.cuervo.com/.
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As a Texas-to-Philly transplant, I am always on the hunt for great Tex-Mex. My personal favorite is The Cantina and its sister restaurant, Dos Segundos Cantina. They have consistently great food (even their pancakes are delicious) and cheaper prices than Distrito, El Vez, and El Camino Real.
Happy eating!
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This is a wonderful sneak peek into the vast array of culinary delights in Downtown Greenville, SC. From sushi prepared by an Imperial Chef at Sushi Koji on North Main Street, to casual but sophisticated Southern barbeque at Smoke on the Water in the vibrant West End Historic District, you can find the perfect cuisine to satisfy any appetite in Greenville. Other places to try include Blue Ridge Brewing Company, Handi, Lemongrass, Trio, Sassafras Southern Bistro, Ristorante Bergamo, Luna Rosa Gelato Cafe, Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria, The Trappe Door, Stellar Wine Bar, The Cazbah, Spoonbread, Trattoria Giorgio, High Cotton, Rick Erwin's West End Grill, Mary's, Pomegranate on Main, Northampton Wines, The Brown Street Club, Rio Grill, Compadre's, Purple International Bistro, Liberty Tap Room, and many more. Nearly a hundred dining options are available in downtown alone. You can sample the food from many of these places during the annual food & music street festival called 'Fall For Greenville', or try the more refined 'Euphoria' festival.
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03-17-2011
01:52 PM
35 Loves
Total food trip: New Orleans.....it is totally all about the food..oysters to etouffe...
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Just watched the San Antonio edition and y'all have to have the best *work perk* anywhere!! Looking forward to returning to SAT and sampling some of the places you visited.
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