Fredericton's very own chili cook-off king
Fredericton chili enthusiast gets ready for cook-off season
In August 2013, Michael Lesperance won his very first chili cook-off in Wells, Maine. Having only nine months of experience in the chili cook-off world, the victory brought him to the verge of tears.
"It's addictive," the Fredericton man said of competing.
"At the end of the season you can't wait to get back on the ice. When you hear your name at the chili cook-off, you can't wait to get to the next one."
And so he did, over and over again.
From ladle jockey to chili head
The first chili cook-off Lesperance attended was back in 2010 in Manchester, N.H. He joined his uncle Richard Chauvin, a longtime chili cook and cook-off veteran. Chauvin is the one who got Lesperance into the art of chili-making.
Lesperance watched from the sidelines and was happy helping out and being a ladle jockey for the weekend.
"I enjoyed the environment, I enjoyed the company and the whole social aspect of it," he said.
In 2012, Lesperance made his way to West Virginia with the sole intention of having a fun weekend. Instead, he ended up cooking his very first batch of competition chili.
"I figured I'm here I have nothing to lose so I'm going to try it," he said.
At the World Championship Chili Cook-off, 10 competitors who haven't qualified throughout the year get to cook a batch of chili for the Sunday red chili final. They call it "last chance chili."
Anywhere from 110 to 180 chili cooks battle it out to finish on top.
To participate in last chance chili, all you need is $100 and an International Chili Society membership. Having both, and nothing to lose, Lesperance cooked a batch of chili with a Canadian twist: maple syrup.
The chili was compared to BBQ sauce, it was too hot and too sweet. Despite the results, Lesperance said he had been "bitten by the bug at that point."
Lesperance learned tips and tricks by keeping his eyes and ears open during competition. He also got to learn in the best way possible: taste-testing competitors' chili.
"I learned a lot of things that helped me when I first started, that if I probably had to learn from scratch without any exposure to that, I might still be competing without ever having won."
A family affair
Michael Lesperance and his wife, Penne Childs, travelled from New Brunswick to Reno, Nev., to participate in the 2016 chili cook-off world championships. Lesperance was up against 120 chili cooks who had won either regional or state cook-offs. He cooked a batch of red chili for the People's Choice and walked away with first place.
"It's the least ostentatious but it represents probably the greatest accomplishment,`he said. "It was something that was achieved at the world championships."
Childs travels with her husband during competition weekends to deck out their chili booth. If it has chili peppers on it, you bet it's displayed somewhere. Chili pepper lights, inflatable Tabasco sauce bottles and all sorts of pepper paraphernalia dangle everywhere. Child's chili pepper decor has earned her "best booth" awards.
His niece Sadie, 7, also tags along when she can. She, too, has won awards for her red chili.
"We cut meat together in the kitchen, help them identify and blend spices but left them enough on their own to be able to truly say that they were the competitors," Lesperance said.
The sweet taste of success has kept him cooking. Today, Lesperance competes in as many cook-offs as he can.
Depths of flavour
For those who want a taste of his FB Chili, Lesperance sets up shop at the Fredericton Cultural Market every second Saturday.
He also had a chance to cook his award-winning chili for last year's Super Bowl Sunday at the King Street Ale House. Owner, Doug Williams, is ecstatic to see someone so passionate about different styles of food.
"It was balanced, well made and you don't tire of it," said Williams.
In August, Lesperance will be attending three chili cook-offs in the U.S., including the Maine state chili cook-off, the first chili cook-off he ever won.