February 25, 2011
The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 3
Valley NEWS
Spilli-chili chef comes second in national cook-off By Samantha Stokell Pioneer Staff For the second year in a row the Spillimacheen chili queen came in second at a national chili cook off. Lori Sluth, who owns Mei Mei’s Asian Supermarket in Invermere, put her Jubilee Whiteout chili up against her nemesis Lori Sluth Mike Callaghan of Ontario at the appropriately-named Zantac Chili Challenge in Toronto on February 16th. Last year Lori placed second and this year she
tied with Mike, who took the chili crown and a trip to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico with a tie-breaker vote by a chef at Calphalon Culinary Centre where the event was held. “I gotta tell you, he makes a damn good chili,” Lori laughed. “I’ve developed a relationship with him and his wife since last year and if I lose, I want it to be against someone I like.” Lori’s already started developing her recipe for next year. In fact, she started before she even left Toronto. Last year, the top three competitors discussed how they might go back to a more traditional chili, which Mike, a three-time winner of the Chili Challenge, accomplished. “I just stuck with what I liked, but next year I think I’ll go a bit more traditional,” Lori said. “Mike‘s chili has several layers and has really good spice layers. He’s always in search of new peppers to use.”
While sushi and chili don’t seem like compatible food items, Lori’s experience at other restaurants and with inventing her own recipes has led to her passion for chili. After two years of competition, she’s hooked. Lori’s recipe included 27 different ingredients including pork hocks, Thai peppers, tomato soup, mangoes, and dark beer. “With chili there’s always a way to try new things or play with it, change it,” she said. “When I first start a recipe, it’s not precise, but eventually I’ll measure it to my taste.” Before attending the final national competition, Lori received nomination from the public through more than 10,000 online votes and then won the Western regionals in Vancouver. Visit www.chilichallenge.ca to see all 300 submitted recipes. Chili fans can taste Lori’s next creation at the annual Spilli Chili Cookoff on June 11th.
High school lives up to ‘aim high’ motto By Kelsey Verboom Pioneer Staff When a group of teachers at David Thompson Secondary School noticed the steady stream of students who stand and gawk at the old graduation photos lining the walls of the school, they came up with the idea to create a wall featuring past alumni who have excelled after graduation. After forming a committee to lead the project, the staff at David Thompson were able to brainstorm a hefty list of students which included three Olympic athletes, an NHL hockey player, internationally rec-
ognized musicians, published authors, Rhodes scholar nominees, politicians, entrepreneurs and trades people, and at least 30 PhD recipients. “We didn’t realize just how many students have generated such great success,” said one of the project’s organizers, teacher Werner Kopp. “The thing I’m most impressed with is that they’re all the product of a relatively small, rural school.” “I think the success of students is a testament not only to the school, but to the whole community,” he added. “The encouragement and support these kids recieve from a young age is remarkable.” Mr. Kopp hopes to add to the list, and is appeal-
ing to the community to send him nominations for students who excel in their post-graduate path. Send your suggestions to werner.kopp@sd6.bc.ca. The location for the display has yet to be decided, but it will be a permanent fixture in the school with high-quality framed photographs to properly pay testament to alumnus achievements, and to help reinforce the school’s motto, “Aim high”. “I think this wall will be a very tangible, powerful reminder to students currently attending school,” Mr. Kopp said. “Just because you’re a student at a small school doesn’t mean you can’t achieve amazing success.”