Sponsored by Blount Fine Foods
Restaurateurs and chefs seeking to offer a single comfort food that can satisfy vegetarians, carnivores and flexitarians alike rank chili as one of the country's most versatile menu solutions.
Chili is available in a wide variety of preparations that can suit everyone’s dietary preferences. There is beef chili, chicken chili, turkey chili, vegetarian chili and vegan chili. And each variation of this popular comfort food can be satisfyingly delicious.
Chili is 125 this year
Chili has been pleasing Americans' palates for more than a century. It made its national debut at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893 at the San Antonio Chili Stand. And over the past 125 years it has appealed to a wide range of fans including Eleanor Roosevelt, Clark Gable and Elizabeth Taylor.
America loves chili so much, in fact, that Feb. 28 has been declared National Chili Day.
But operators don’t have to wait until February to reap the benefits of offering an array of hearty chili variations. Chili has proven to be a favorite any time of the year. And while many restaurants across the nation take pride in menuing their own signature chili recipes, savvy chefs know they can also rely on top-quality heat-and-serve options created by purveyors like Blount Fine Foods.
Ready, set, heat
Riding the chili wave, Blount offers 8 versions of the comfort dish all ready to heat and serve. They are:
- Angus beef chili with beans — ground Angus and sirloin with pinto beans.
- Beef chili with beans (antibiotic-free).
- Uncle Teddy’s chili with beans (chunks of beef).
- Chicken chili with beans (white meat chunks).
- Turkey chili with beans (ground turkey)
- Organic vegetarian chili (for vegans, too, and is halal).
- Three-bean chili (vegetarian and vegan).
- Chili base (kidney beans and peppers, for those who want to tailor their own).
All the recipes are gluten free, high in fiber and made with antibiotic-free proteins.
Garnishes aplenty
Not only do the different recipes provide variety, but the multitude of garnishes available also can help transform chili into the ultimate made-to-order comfort food.
Once diners have decided on the flavors and ingredients that appeal to them, they can add any number of flavorful toppings, including:
- Sour cream.
- Scallions.
- Chopped red onion.
- Tomatoes.
- Cheese.
- Cilantro.
- Avocado.
- Black olives.
- Hot sauce.
- Crackers.
- Crushed tortilla chips.
One way to tempt diners with variety is to create a chili bar. With pots of different preparations as a centerpiece, an array of toppings will keep customers coming back for more.
Better-For-You choices
Blount also focuses on meeting the growing demand for healthier versions of consumer favorites.
The National Restaurant Association recently published research findings on the importance of offering healthful menu choices. The association's annual What’s Hot Culinary Survey of more than 1,000 chefs and restaurateurs found that 71 percent of respondents said a restaurant's availability of healthful items makes it more likely that consumers will choose that operator over a competitor who does not cater to that trend.
Menuing healthier choices means favorites like chili don’t have to be removed from the menu, and menu blurbs can reassure consumers that they are ordering “better-for-you” food.
Accounting for tastes
Some customers are chili purists, meaning they want it only with beef. But other flavors are finding a place on menus around the country as well. Bob Sewall, Blount's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, says the company's steak chili is traditionally the best seller but chicken and turkey chili are rapidly growing in popularity.
These alternative versions appeal both to diners who are looking for a more healthful protein and to those who want a vacation from beef but are not ready to take the vegetarian plunge.
There are also creative ways to menu chili as a key ingredient with other favorite comfort foods. Diners love chili served over spaghetti, over rice, on a hot dog, on a biscuit or even with a corn tortilla and topped with an egg.
Having heat-and-serve options allows chefs to offer all of the various preparations of chili even from a limited kitchen.
The ultimate comfort meal
Clearly, chili is an easily customized dish. For example, one preparation known as Chili Mac takes chili to the max, calling for a bread bowl filled with mac and cheese to be topped with chili and garnished with sour cream and chives.
Sewall says the dish is an eye turner when waitstaff carries it to a table. “We recommend using our yellow mac and cheese and any one of our chili recipes,” he says. “It’s a complete meal, one of the most indulgent things you could have in the winter.”
He also recommends featuring chili in specials, especially in the winter months of January, February and March. “You could feature a different flavor profile each week,” he suggests.
Descriptions of the healthful benefits as well as anticipation of a favorite comfort food will have diners saying, “Gee, that sounds good. I’ll have that.”
