This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the inaugural Chili and Slaw Bash in 1987, one local caterer made a large batch of beef and bean chili and served it, along with some coleslaw, to nearly 200 guests who had bought tickets.
By night's end, the fundraiser had brought in a respectable $30,000.
Fast forward three decades and the event, now called the Great Salt Lake Chili Affair, attracts nearly 2,000 guests each year and features chili — as well as salads, breads and desserts — prepared by nearly two dozen chefs.
Last year, more than $86,000 was collected.
"I'm amazed that we are celebrating 30 years," said Evelyn Lee, the chair of that first event. "It was just a little idea that germinated and caught on."
Tickets are available for the 30th anniversary event, aptly titled "Where We've Bean," on Wednesday, Sept. 28. (See box for details.)
One thing that hasn't changed about the Chili Affair is its focus on raising money for the Road Home, which provides shelter and housing services for men, women and children who have no place to live.
Lee was a member of Salt Lake City's Traveler's Aid Board — a precursor to the Road Home — when then-Mayor Palmer DePaulis approached the nonprofit group about raising money to build a transitional shelter for Salt Lake City's growing homeless population.
A chili dinner was one of the fundraising suggestions, Lee said during a recent telephone interview. "I had traveled to New Mexico and Arizona and chili seemed to be the thing."
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church let the group use its large event hall; local caterer Tom Davis provided the chili and slaw, according to stories in The Salt Lake Tribune. In subsequent years, the event moved to the Utah State Fairpark and then to the Salt Palace Convention Center, where it has been for nearly two decades.
Through the years, the Chili Affair has featured some of Salt Lake City's most popular restaurants and chefs. Some, like Le Parisien, Texas Reds and Piñon Market, are gone; others, including Squatters Brew Pub, the New Yorker and Red Iguana, are still kicking.
Every Salt Lake City mayor — from DePaulis and Deedee Corradini to Rocky Anderson and Ralph Becker — has attended. So have U.S. senators, state lawmakers and top business leaders.
Matt Minkevitch, executive director of the Road Home, was a cook at the St. Vincent De Paul Center in 1989 when he was asked to participate. "At St. Vincent's, I prepared meals for hundreds of people every day, but I remember being nervous about cooking [for the Chili Affair]," he said. "It was this big thing."
Minkevitch continued to cook chili for several more years before moving into other jobs at Catholic Community Services and the Road Home.
While some may think he has "moved up," he says it's just been a series of lateral moves. "In this line of work, no one calling is more important than another."
Which is why after nearly three decades, he is still grateful for the hundreds of volunteers who put on the Chili Affair. The funds raised during the event, coupled with government assistance and community grants and donations, help the Road Home "provide a multitude of services. It's incredibly important."
Dan Joyce, the general manager of Utah Food Services, which provides catering for the Salt Palace, was another early participant. Back then, he worked at the Red Lion Hotel. Joyce, or someone on the Utah Food Services staff, has participated in the Chili Affair numerous times in the past 30 years.
Has he ever calculated how many gallons of chili he has donated to the event? "I don't think about that," he said, "but definitely hundreds of gallons."
Each year they try to create a different chili. "Something unique that grabs people's attention," he said. One year it was five-pepper elk chili, while another featured lamb mole. This year guests can expect wild boar chili.
Joyce said those who have attended the Chili Affair have witnessed the ebb and flow of culinary food trends. There was a time when chipotle was the new pepper and all the chefs were using it, he said. Then came the ancho chile craze. "Now everyone is into the hot stuff like ghost peppers and habañeros."
No matter the culinary fads, chefs and volunteers say they will continue to give chili and time to the cause.
"The number of homeless grows every year, that's evident downtown every day," Joyce said. "You see it on every street corner and it's heartbreaking."
Chili Affair Celebrates 'Where We've Bean'
The Great Salt Lake Chili Affair celebrates its 30th anniversary next week. The annual benefit for the Road Home showcases chili prepared by more than a dozen Utah restaurants and chefs as well as salads, breads and desserts. Celebrity judges will give prizes in various chili categories, while guests can vote for a fan favorite. Live entertainment, a silent auction and a supervised children's area with a reptile exhibit, bounce houses and face painting will be part of the fun.
When • Wednesday, Sept. 28, 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Where • The Salt Palace Convention Center, Hall 5, 100 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $42 per person; children 12 and under free; $300 for tables of eight
Details • Participating restaurants/chefs: 4 Truck Firehouse Food, Blue Boar Inn, Catering by Bryce, Fiddlers Elbow, Frida Bistro, Grand America, Head Start, Hotel RL, Iggy's, Intermountain Medical Center, Jonniebeefs, Moochie's, Red Iguana, Sage's Cafe, St. Mark's Hospital, Texas Roadhouse and Utah Food Services