It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a good October day must be in want of a steaming hot bowl of chili. But you don’t have to tell the Porter brothers that.
John and Charlie Porter grew up in Little Rock. They both left to attend the University of Arkansas, and, through different paths, both wound up back in the capital city, in The Heights, to be exact. Well-versed in the ways of The Natural State and the nature of its inhabitants, the Porter brothers know, as many of us do, the magic that comes with your favorite chili recipe at the onset of autumn.
Cue Chili Fights in The Heights.
In 2010, after a short conversation that went along the lines of “Let’s do a cook-off,” “Ok, what for?” “The Foodbank?” “Yes”; John and Charlie set out to organize the first Chili Fights in The Heights event. With origins in Hillcrest’s HarvestFest and a few “beta version” cook-offs under their belts, the two took the idea to The Heights’ business and neighborhood associations and their ideal beneficiary, the Arkansas Foodbank, as well as many a friend and family member. The idea received positive feedback across the board, and it’s not hard to see the appeal.
“We just thought The Heights deserved its own standalone event,” Charlie says. “The whole purpose of Chili Fights is to basically throw a really great block party with all the businesses and neighbors, and through that, try to raise as much money as we can for the Arkansas Foodbank.”
The Foodbank seemed the obvious choice to John and Charlie. With Arkansas ranking first in the nation in senior hunger, severe hunger and overall hunger, and ranking third in child hunger, the Porter brothers knew the Foodbank was where the proceeds from their cook-off had to go. It also made the most monetary sense, with every dollar donated providing five meals to hungry Arkansans.
The mission of Chili Fights is simple: Have fun, eat chili and give everything to charity. There are no unexpected strings attached, no fishy funds stockpiling in an offshore account, no admission charge and nothing going to waste. Even the leftover napkins and cutlery go to the Foodbank.
“I think this increase in small, fundraising festivals just goes to show that auctions aren’t exactly working like they used to,” John says. “People want more creative ways to raise money for an organization, and Chili Fights is proof that you can do that, that a couple of dudes from down the road can raise a good amount of money for a good cause.”
The first year saw about 30 teams competing for top honors. In 2014, about 3,000 people milled around on Kavanaugh Boulevard, listening to live music and enjoying the neighborhood. Attendees purchased chili tasting kits to sample competing recipes, as well as drinks and hot dogs, with all the money going to the charity.
It’s this laid-back, tailgate-ish atmosphere that people keep coming out for year after year, and that includes the costume contest. Competing teams often come up with intricate themes, sometimes bringing repurposed duck blinds or mini football fields to decorate their tents. One year, the Porters’ mother joined the fun and went all-in on a “M*A*S*H” theme, wheeling in a gurney and other military medical supplies.
‘The Gourmet Around Here’
The crowd favorite, however, continues to be returning competitor Cousin Eddie’s Winnebago Chili. These team members transform their area into a certifiable trailer park, all showing up dressed as the classic character from National Lampoon’s “Vacation” movies, complete with bathrobes, floppy-eared hunting hats, tall black socks and, yes, boxers on display.
After describing the Eddies, John doesn’t hesitate declaring, “We’ve got the best chili combatants in the nation.”
But it all centers around the cook-off. While there are no official rules for what can and cannot go in a batch, the brothers say the disastrous mess-ups, the canned chili and the glorified tortilla soups all naturally weed themselves out through the judging process without a need for policing the ingredients list. And even though it’s definitely all fun and games, cooking everything on-site over a propane burner is tough work. The competitors are still vying for the top 10 places, each coming with its own slightly absurd trophy.
Unsurprisingly, the chili gospel spread quickly, growing the event to raise a combined $30,000 over the past five years. The crowds get bigger every year, the teams get more animated and the chili gets better.
The Porter brothers were happy running the ship with a team of recruits — or as John puts it, “whoever we could con into helping us” — but Chili Fights was only a couple of years old when the two saw the writing on the wall: They weren’t going to be able to keep it up.
“It was obvious that we were going to run out of steam somewhere along the way, and we would hate to see it go away just because we couldn’t do it anymore,” Charlie says.
It was then that John and Charlie started talking to The Hat Club of Little Rock, a group of philanthropically-minded young professionals that the brothers both belong to, about taking over Chili Fights in The Heights. The Hat Club thought it was a great fit as well, and in 2014 the takeover process began. While last year’s Chili Fights was officially a Hat Club event, the brothers still pretty much ran the show. This year, John and Charlie remain on the board for the event, with Hat Club member Nate Tilley taking the reins as chairman.
It’s the best kind of problem the brothers could hope for, to have their charity block party grow beyond their capability of control, and they love it.
“The Hat Club taking over is real exciting. With their help last year, we were able to almost double donations from the previous year, hitting the $10,000 mark,” John says. He laughs, adding “Charlie and I didn’t even get in a fight last year.”
To further aid the new leadership, the brothers even have what they call Chili Fights in a Box, where they preemptively started writing down instructions for running the event, should something happen to them. Much of the lessons in that box, however, were learned by trial and error.
Winning Batch
• The first-place trophy travels each year, but one of the most coveted places is 10th. That’s because the 10th-place trophy is tiny and has a pink base with a crawling golden baby on top. It’s called “The Baby” and is a crowd favorite.
• The band Good Time Ramblers is performing again this year.
• The Hat Club is a 501(c)(3), so donations are now tax deductible.
• The Heights Neighborhood Association has been the biggest underwriter for Chili Fights since it began.
• Charlie’s first chili cook-off team in college was named Pirates of the Chilibean.
The first year of Chili Fights, a solid crowd was making the rounds at each tent, all having a good time. Charlie left to get more ice, and when he returned 10 minutes later, the street was a ghost town. The brothers soon figured out everyone left when the Arkansas Razorback away game started to become a nail-biter. So they ran home, grabbed a couple of TVs and a digital antenna and set it up on the stage. The crowd eventually made its way back out, and they even held off the chili award ceremony for 45 minutes while everyone, including the mayor, watched the rest of the game together.
While that story makes for a sweet memory for Hogwild chili fans, neither the Porter brothers nor The Hat Club will make that mistake again, and they’re not the only ones. If you’ve noticed anything about the calendar of yearly Little Rock events, you’ll notice that most fall events stack up on one weekend — the bye week for the Razorback football team.
Despite the multiple bookings, Chili Fights hasn’t suffered. If anything, this scheduling offers a nod to its heritage. HarvestFest in Hillcrest and Chili Fights in The Heights now take place on the same day, but organizers arrange for a trolley to make trips between the two so visitors can experience as much of each as they like.
Though the Porter brothers are slowly backing out of the directing role, abandoning Chili Fights is not in the cards. They’re looking forward to the day they can just show up and compete, not having to worry about the judging or the music or the trash cans or the ice. In short, they’re not going anywhere, and neither is the spirit of Chili Fights.
Simplicity is still key, the work is still hard and someone always burns their batch. Nevertheless, every year, sponsors and competitors alike show up early, asking what they can do to help. Locals who have never met the Porter brothers volunteer their time simply because they enjoy the event and they respect the objective.
“Chili Fights is truly a for-the-community, by-the-community type of event. That’s what I love about it,” Charlie says. “It’s just one day of a whole neighborhood getting together to throw its weight behind a fun event to raise money for a good cause. There’s been a lot of good will, and it rings true with people. I think that’s why we’ve been able to do a lot of the things we’ve done.”
Says John, “It’s either that, or the delicious chili.”
Chili Fights in the Heights
When: Saturday, October 17; Teams set up at noon, cooking starts at 1 p.m.; music and beer/wine sales open at 2 p.m.; tasting and booth voting starts at 4 p.m.; awards at 6:30 p.m. on the main stage
Info: ChiliFights.com; Chili tasting kits will be available for purchase at the event for $5 with ALL proceeds benefiting the Arkansas Foodbank.