Fast Break: Chili

When cold weather hits and you’re looking for a good ol’ bowl of something warm, you probably turn to chili. Hearty, packed full of veggies and protein: this stew is always a winner. Almost every family has their own secret chili recipe, and they guard it like it’s their life. It’s one of America’s great treasures, our bowls o’red (as they call it in Texas).
 
Texas lays claim to the birthplace of chili, and it’s even their official state food! The first written reference to chili (as we know it today) was in 1828, where a food writer noted that the best way to use meat and veggies in the most efficient and cheapest way was to stew it all together. Cattle drivers spread the dish far and wide in the Lone Star State, but when the Great Depression hit in the 1920’s, chili finally got its day in the spotlight and broke out of Texas.
 

Meet the Manager of our Blacklick Restaurant: Chris Bonner

 
 
All over the United States little chili stands popped up, giving those in desperate need of food a cheap, filling meal. Only ten cents for a bowl o’red, chili and crackers meant the difference between starvation and surviving. Perhaps this is why we treasure our secret family recpie so dearly- it might have been what kept our grandparents alive!
 
Sunny Street Café is keeping the chili tradition alive and well. Our special Black Bean Chorizo Chili, is homemade right in our kitchen. Packed with chorizo, black beans, and lots of spice (chili peppers, cumin, and more), it comes topped with pico de gallo, tortillas strips, cheddar, and cilantro sour cream. Come try our secret recipe!

–Anna Hetzel, Social Media Manager