Veg Chili Wins Cook Off

Sunday, August 1, was the 16th annual Chili Cook Off at the Beverly Hills Farmer’s Market, and the first prize went to the only vegetarian chili in the competition. Tanu Gupta, 36, competed against seven other meat-based chilies with her vegetarian chili that had Indian influences, such as cumin, cloves, and ginger. The LA transplant from India has been a vegetarian most of her life, and didn’t want to cook with soy-based meats. “I wanted to compete with the natural flavors and texture of non-meat ingredients. I am glad it worked,” she says. Gupta took home the grand prize of $250.