Springfield man punches ticket to World Championship Chili Cook-off on fair's last day

Les Eastep of Springfield said Sunday at the Illinois State Fair Chili Cookoff that he was hanging it up as far as competitive cooking.

But by virtue of his first-place finish in the homestyle category on the final day of the fair, Eastep, 86, was guaranteed a spot in the World Championship Chili Cook-off in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 2024.

Eastep, who has been involved in chili cookoffs for over 40 years, has made the world championships 16 times with one top 10 finish, in 2019.

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"It gets to the point where you don't have the energy to stand over a stove for six or seven hours," Eastep said. "But I've had a good time.

"You can sit back and smile. I've met a lot of great people. I can go to any cookoff in the country and find somebody I know who knows me and have a good time."

The homestyle category, he explained, is relatively new with the International Chili Society. Cooked with beans, Eastep said he has placed each time in the category.

The chili cookoff has been a staple of the fair for over three decades.

While Springfield is one of the anointed "chili capitals of the world," the number of cookoffs has fallen off in the area and officials say the competitions are having a harder time attracting younger audiences.

Fourteen cooks took part in the cookoff, a number that is down from previous years, said coordinator Larry Eastep, Les' brother, who now lives in Surprise, Arizona.

"We've had cookoffs of 40 to 50 people," Larry Eastep said. "This is a good setup for the cooks, good money. The competition is pretty heavy, with a number of "master cooks," who have been in multiple cookoffs."

COVID curtailed a lot of cookoffs, though in some regions they have rebounded, Eastep said. The ages of competitors are also skewing older, he added.

"We're getting some young people, but not enough are getting involved," Eastep said.

Helen McAuley traveled from Horn Lake, Mississippi, to take part in Sunday's cookoff. She briefly lived in Springfield and another of the Eastep brothers, Don, got her into competitive cooking.

"It's not cutthroat," said McAuley, a retired nurse. "If we're out of something, we go to another cook and if they have it, (it's ours)."

Competitors, Eastep said, are out to have fun and many make a family afternoon of it.

"If you're not having a good time, it's your own damn fault," Eastep said.

Randy Anders of Chatham sampled a variety of flavors on Sunday, though he was partial to the traditional red.

Fairgoers like Anders could vote for a People's Choice award, which was won by Gary Ballweg of Springfield.

Anders said he even has his name on a board for surviving the Den Chili Parlor's "firebrand" variety.

"That was a mistake," said Anders, who makes his own chili. "I couldn't taste anything for two days after that. I like anything hot and spicy, but I like it mild, too."

Ballweg won with his version of traditional tavern chili. Ballweg said he grew up in Springfield eating chili at Sportsman's Lounge and Lawson's.

The tavern variety has more oil in it "and holds a lot more flavor, I think," said Ballweg, who works for the city of Springfield's lake services. "Of the three batches of chili I made today, that was the best one."

Other first-place winners were Mike Goodman of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, in the traditional red category; Christine Toney of St. Louis in the salsa category and Rodney Jones of Como, Mississippi in the verde, or green, category.

Eastep said Springfield's Joe DeFrates, who won the International Chili Championship in 1973 and the renamed world championship two years later, is never far from his mind, even after passing away in 2001. DeFrates grew up on the north end with Eastep's mother and aunts and uncles.

A magnet with DeFrates' photo and the saying "Watch the pot"-- reminding Eastep not to scorch the bottom of the pot -- hangs on Eastep's cooker.

A retired Illinois Department of Transportation worker, Eastep literally wrote the history of chili--Eastep prefers the alternate spelling of "chilli"--in Springfield a decade ago. The booklet was published by the Sangamon County Historical Society.

As for Sunday's win, Eastep said "It feels excellent. Awesome. I think that's the best word for it."

Chili cookoff winners

Homestyle - First, Les Eastep, Springfield; Second, Lloyd Weir, Bloomington; Third, Brenda Weir, Bloomington

Traditional red - First, Mike Goodman, Pewaukee, Wisc.; Second, Rodney Jones, Como, Miss.; Third, Kelly Wessing, Farmersville

Salsa - First, Christine Toney, St. Louis; Second, Steven Peachey, Indianapolis; Third, Lloyd Weir, Bloomington

Verde - First, Rodney Jones, Como, Miss.; Second, Gary Ballweg, Springfield; Third, Ken Blaida, Streamwood

People's Choice - Gary Ballweg, Springfield

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Abe's Amble winners

Jay Welp of Springfield won the Abe's Amble 10K Sunday in 34:6.8.

Welp covered the 6.2-mile course at a pace of 5:30 per mile.

Dan Plunkett of Springfield was second with a time of 34:29.4. Plunkett was the overall winner of the two-mile Parade Run on Aug. 10 kicking off the fair.

Bryan Glass of Sherman won the masters class with a time of 34:35.2.

Amanda Glass, also of Sherman, was the top female finished in 43:40.9.

Spencer Uetz of Springfield won the 5K in 17:12.5. Maggie Uetz was the top female finisher at 20:13.8 was the third overall finisher.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: A Springfield man qualified for the world championship chili cookoff