Carson chili cooks going for Mexican championship

Carson City chili cooks Bill Flamm and Ed Pierczynski will compete in this weekend's Mexican National Chili Championship cookoff at Lake Chapala in Mexico.

"That's the Lake Tahoe of Mexico," said Flamm, who has owned and operated Carson City Vacuum and Sewing center for 30 years. "I've gone there before and we like it there. It's a fun place to go and we always have a good time."

While Flamm and Pierczynski will compete in the International Chili Society event, Flamm's wife June and Carson City's Julie Martin will be scorekeepers at the cookoff. Carson City attorney Bob Grayson is also going and will be a judge at the three-day cookoff that begins Friday.

"This is a big one," said Pierczynski, also known as Dr. Chili. "Top cooks from all over the world come to compete in this one. There will be a lot of good cooks there, including a bunch from Texas."

Lake Chapala is located 25 miles south of Guadalajara. The winner of the Mexican championship automatically qualifies to cook in the ICS world championships held in October in Las Vegas.

All ICS chili cookoffs are nonprofit and benefit local charities. Proceeds from this cookoff will go to benefit the local orphanage in the city of Ajijis, Mexico.

- Reno will be represented at the championship too as both Herb and Geneva Holman from Reno will be cooking in the event.

- The next ICS chili cookoff in northern Nevada is the annual Topaz Lake cookoff April 15. Proceeds from that cookoff go to benefit the Topaz Lake Sertoma charities.

- Virginia City will host the annual Cinco De Mayo chili cookoff May 6 in downtown Virginia City. The Carson City Invitational chili cookoff is the following week on May 13.