Arrington's Amazingly Awesome Irish Chili
The Arrington’s Irish Chili is an old family recipe that my grandfather, Frank Arrington, “spiced up” because of his love for fiery, Mexican-style foods. This dish is made by my grandparents, Frank and Linnea Arrington, even though we don’t eat the Chili anymore, it has still become an interesting part of our family history.
Imagine it is 1966, and your neighbor has just come back from Vietnam. As a new career choice, he and his wife decide to open a restaurant and write a cookbook. My grandfather, Frank Arrington was neighbors with George and Piret Munger, who opened five French Bistro and Pan shops around San Diego County (Piret's Restaurant and The Perfect Pan.) Along with all these great accomplishments, Piret Munger also wrote a nationally published cookbook, in which Arrington's Irish Chili is included!
Each year the Mungers had a famous cook off, and many entered their dishes into it. In the 8th Annual Munger Cook Off, Frank entered his Arrington's Irish Chili. Thousands of people showed up to the cook off, and each loved the dish. When the judges went by to try it, they congratulated Frank on his dish and said that it very good. Frank thought he the judges were in his favor, but he guessed wrong because he did not win the award for the most “Excellent Dish.”
The next year, Frank and Linnea Arrington entered Arrington’s Irish Chili in the “Outrageous Presentation” category. Frank and Linnea were nowhere to be seen until a few minutes before they were supposed to present, when Frank signed in at the booth. He signed in quickly, and then pushed through the different people tasting the several different, colorful dishes. Then, the loud buzzing of the judges voices came through the speakers. Going in alphabetical order, Frank and Linnea were called first, and a group of men wearing green camo pants and black shirts said, “Excellent elephants, let us take you elephant riding.” The crowd parted and a massive elephant walked into the presentation area. When the elephant made it’s way to the judges, Frank ‘parallel parked’ the elephant and was in conversation distance when he and Linnea handed the judges the dish, Arrington’s Irish Chili.
Everyone gasped and thought it was amazing, even the judges who stared in awe. No one was surprised when Frank won the award, and everyone said he deserved it for his amazing delivery. They all joked that pizza should be delivered by Elephants too!
At the 10th annual Munger Cook Off, Frank decided to enter one more dish. He could not enter Arrington Irish Chili, because it won the year before. So Frank chose another favorite. He called it “Arrington's Souffle That Rises the Highest!” Little did the judges know that it would rise the highest, and so would they! Frank and Linnea arrived at the cook off with a grin on their faces and a secret plan. They were sure that they would win the “Outrageous Presentation” for the second year in a row! Once again, thousands of people came to see the cook off and there was a great smell in the air. Frank and Linnea walked through the crowds of people to check in and then take a look at their competition, before they quickly disappeared from the group of people.
When the judges called their names, Frank and Linnea asked the judges to follow them to the open field next to where the cook off was held. Sitting in the field was a red and yellow striped hot air balloon! Inside of it was a short table, with the dish sitting on them. Frank led the judges into the balloon and it took off, while Linnea and a newspaper photographer stood in the crowd to document the event!
Frank and Linnea won the award for a second time in a row! And of course, the next day their achievement was posted in the paper, so the whole city saw the amazing presentation! Frank and Linnea did not enter the next year, “Rather stop when you're ahead,” Frank would joke when people asked him why he didn’t enter again.
Frank is very proud of his amazing achievements in the cook offs, and he always talks about how his ideas resulted in two wins at the Munger Cook Off! Arrington's Irish Chili is not his favorite memory from the Munger Cook Off, but is still a good part of his memory, and on rare, special occasions he might just pull it out of the Munger Cookbook.