Carson City chili cook Dr. Ed Pierczynski won the Pacific Northwest Regional Chili Championship on Sunday to qualify to cook in the International Chili Society World Championships in Las Vegas the second weekend in October.
The ICS cookoff took place in Seattle and Pierczynski, better known as "Dr. Chili," was happy to finally qualify for the world title cookoff.
"It took awhile, longer than usual, but I'm qualified now for the world," said Pierczynski on his return to Carson City. "It was a tough cookoff to win. There were a lot of good chili cooks entered. I'm very pleased to win a cookoff like this."
Carson City chili cook Bob Grayson took third in the cookoff. Grayson captured the Northwest Regional Salsa contest and that made him eligible to compete in the salsa portion of the world championships in October.
Canadian cook Carol Porteous finished in second place in the chili cookoff. Carson City's Julie Grayson was an assistant scorekeeper for the cookoff.
Only ICS chili cookoff winners qualify for the world championship and cooks from all over the world compete in the prestigious cookoff. Last year 123 cooks entered the world championship.
Dr. Pierczynski - who won the world title in 1992 - became the second Carson City cook to make it into the world championship. His wife Mary Pierczynski became the first when she won the Nevada State Championship last month in Reno. The only other Northern Nevada chili cook to qualify for the world is Reno's Dione Cooley.
The next ICS chili cookoff in Northern Nevada takes place Aug. 12-13 at the U'Al Come Back Saloon in Mound House.
