The Takedown

Cathy relaxes after stiff competition at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Chile Fiesta Takedown '08!

So guess what? The new “blog” look for the Takedown is such a hit, people are bashing down my door to be a part of it! When I begged celebrity foodie Cathy Erway for an interview, she didn’t not not say no! This woman runs one of your more popular food columns on the internet, at Not Eating Out in NYC.  Cathy is a huge fan!!! She’s also participated and judged a few Takedowns herself. Here she is- unfettered, uncut Cathy Freakin Erway:

As a sophisticated food sophisticate, can you tell us: what is the importance of chili?

Chili is a food of the home, and that makes it a perfect cook-off dish. It lends itself to countless variations, it’s adored by meat fanatics and vegans alike, and it’s something that otherwise normal folks can get crazy religious and territorial about. Genteel restaurants – especially in New York – don’t typically do chili. I think chefs are afraid it will look like dog food. Or, they’re rightly afraid people will think theirs or their mom’s is better. It’s also incredibly American, you know, cowboy food. When I was living in Taiwan I once gave an “American food” demo and served up chili. I don’t think anyone was too impressed.

Hey Cathy! How much do you love the Takedown?

A lot? There are many imitators, but the Takedown is the truest and most frequent home of unbridled amateur cooking guts and glory. I have seen the strangest stuff happen at Takedowns. I’ve tasted the best and worst chilis I’ve ever had in my life. Who can forget that time when someone’s sick joke was to open a bunch of cans of Hormel chili and dump vodka in it? Takedowns are where I get a lot of my “normal people’s food-watching” done. Some people like to “people-watch”; I like to see what people put in their pots.

Yeah that was this guy Pascal with the Hormel Vodka Incident. That dude is in a lot of trouble with the Takedown. We’re still investigating those allegations. Hey Cathy! You’ve competed in a ton of these Takedowns!!! What’s your favorite chili recipe?

The last one I made, “If I Had a Pepper.” (link: http://noteatingoutinny.com/2008/10/12/if-i-had-a-pepper-pork-chili/ ) I wouldn’t have done the pulled pork-style meat if I didn’t have eight pounds of shoulder from a pig butchering class at the Brooklyn Kitchen to use up. It was Berkshire pork, and it made all the difference.

Jesus Christ! You know how to butcher a pig? *HEY READERS- CATHY ERWAY CAN BUTCHER A WHOLE PIG.* So anyways, Cathy, you’ve judged a few Takedowns as well-  do you have advice for anyone foolish enough to compete?

Everyone I meet at these Takedowns are just so awesome and all there just to have a good time, I hardly feel like they need any advice at all. But I did add my two cents on just this topic for Brooklyn Based: http://brooklynbased.net/everything/how-to-win-a-brooklyn-cook-off/

Whoah, Cathy, Brooklyn Based is another wicked important online publication! Readers, if you’re still reading this than you know by now that the Takedown must therefore also be wicked important to be getting all this amazing press. Hey anyways Cathy! So, can vegetable chili even be allowed even to exist, even?

The question is, why haven’t more vegetarian chilis won? A long while back, my friends Shana and David fooled a bunch of people into thinking their tempeh was ground meat and won the judges’ top honors. I’m not going to give away their secret, but it involved the word “liquid” and the word “smoke.”

Wow! Oh man Cathy I owe you big you rule so badddd!!! Check out the love she’s given the Takedown at past events – recaps and losing recipes:

http://noteatingoutinny.com/2008/08/12/777/

http://noteatingoutinny.com/2008/11/26/oh-you-cheesy-things/

http://noteatingoutinny.com/2007/09/17/bloody-mary-salsa/

http://noteatingoutinny.com/2007/12/18/the-2007-chili-takedown-that-i-did-not/

http://noteatingoutinny.com/2007/12/18/chicken-pumpkin-hominy-chili/

http://noteatingoutinny.com/2007/06/04/chili-champs/

Long time friend of the Takedown, and foe to everyone else, Karol Lu stands as a symbol for excellence. Also lies and deciet. For years, Karol has used her chili prowess to reduce Takedown fans to quivering lumps. She’s cooked chili, salsa and fondue (pictured above). She also runs super fun pool events at billiardsburg.com so go there, if you enjoy having fun!!!  She consented to this rare interview, only because I begged.

TD: Hey Karol, what makes your chili so awesome?

KL: Onion, garlic, lots of peppers (bell, poblano, jalapeno, habanero), a tomato base, chipotle/ancho chili powders, cumin, smart ground, beans, salt.

TD: You make it sound so easy! And yet I know your chili philosophy is more complex than you let on:

KL: chili is the food of the people.  it should warm the soul, lift your spirits, inspire, and leave you wanting more.  in all of my cooking, i try to keep things simple and unpretentious.  i think what makes chili so fun to make is that you only need a few basic ingredients and from there, you can pretty much “kitchen sink” it.  also, a great pot of chili should never cost a lot of money to make.

TD: That was fascinating! Go on, tell everyone how much you love The Chili Takedown:
KL: I love the chili takedown quite a bit. I’m pretty sure i’ve entered every single one since i heard about it, nearly 2 years ago.  never won, but i never turn down a cooking challenge.  plus, it’s always amazing to see what people come up with.  in the case of the salsa and fondue takedowns, these are things i had never made before and learned to make specifically for the competition.  now i make wicked salsa and fondue!  thank you, chili takedown!

TD: Thank you, Karol!!!

And stay tuned for more siintilating interviews from other Takedown celebrities!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, we got a date. February 8, 2009, start your engines. The Chili Takedown is back at Union Pool in Williamsburg.( I wanted so badly to do it on Superbowl Sunday, to show those morons that football is seriously un, but decided to be more inclusive.) More chili, more bad attitude than ever before!!!! Chili chefs, this is the perfect weather to come out and warm the hearts of mopey New Yorkers- they need your help!!! Start plotting their demise today- you will be competing for cash and prizes!! $100 grand prize and plenty of lesser awards for doing less well. This is how we save the world!

sponsored by The Brooklyn Kitchen !!!!

As always, contact Matt Timms to enter! Check the FAQs for questions- but basically, just email Matt Timms and tell him you will be bringing a giant pot (about 2 gallons) of chili to Union Pool at 4:30 Sunday Feb 8th! Free to enter. And if you want to come down and try all these different chilis, $10 at the door!  Contact Matt at mtimms7 at hotmail !!!!

Time to toot my own shizzo. If you’ve never entered a Takedown, then you’ve never received a Takedown Certificate of Participation!!!! Better than any cash prize or bar tab is this handsome official-looking document. Ask any veteran Takedowner: the best part of every Takedown comes at the end, when I get to see the look on the face of every participant, as I hand them their Certificate of Participation.  Tears are not uncommon. Note the single tear, trickling down Cathy Erway (pictured above)’s cheek at the end of another Fondue Takedown! If this doesn’t convince people to enter the next Takedown, then I give up. No I don’t! Stay tuned for a CHILI TAKEDOWN at the end of January. More details to follow as I finalize the venue!!!!

You had to be there.  If you were, you may never forget that not-so-fresh feeling after eating 20 different cookies. All the beautiful people came out December 13th to The Soft Spot and shared their cookies with throngs of weirdos. Highlights included Sugar cookies with whiskey whipped cream, “Hazelnut Love Bites”, and the award-winning “Christmas Bark”, which received a wopping 1 billion votes!!!! Clearly, the cCookie Takedown was a massive success. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped us pulverize the Soft Spot Bar in Williamsburg!!!!

Check out the pics HERE !!!!!!!

Matt Timms reporting for duty! First order of business- MC a COOKIE TAKEDOWN at The Soft Spot Bar – 128 Bedford Ave (L train to Bedford) December 13th at 4PM.  Only the finest amateur bakers may enter! We want to see what you guyses cookies are made of, people! Free to enter your cookies (bake as many as you can- at least 2 dozen, but probably WAY more). Free to come down and eat cookies! Grab a ballot at the door and vote on your most favoritist cookie.  In true takedown form, we invite any cookie to enter. Oatmeal vs. PB! Mint magic vs. fortune! Ginger vs. Snickerdoodle! You’re playing for bartabs and trophies and glory and honor! And self respect, for once! Leave your sense of humor at the door, because this is deadly serious. Email me with any questions!

Welcome everybody! To the new look! Now, you’ll know everything you ever needed to know about the latest news and events at the Takedown!!!! Takedowns will be taken down, aftermaths documented, contestants exploited, lives ruined… Just don’t come crying to me that you missed a takedown, because this site is now officially a wealth of valuable information!! As always, the Takedown loves to love you.