Heather Murtagh/Daily Journal Dorothy Van Wagoner, of Visalia, began cooking the meat for her chili Sunday during the San Mateo County Fair chili cook-off.

Chefs were given three hours to cook their masterpieces. Each came with a different game plan — using tri-tip over chunk or homemade seasoning instead of store-bought. Everyone came, however, to catch up with old friends and share a love of cooking with the fair community.

Rob and Dorothy Van Wagoner, from Visalia, began cooking in chili cook-offs at least 20 years ago. Each has their own approach to mastering the spicy food, but on Sunday only Dorothy Van Wagoner was wearing a “Gas Station Chili” apron.

They decided on the gas station name because when you add beans to the chili, you get gas, Dorothy Van Wagoner said with a laugh.

Rob Van Wagoner’s chili is leaded — because it’s hot — while Dorothy’s is unleaded. She doesn’t even care for chili, but she enjoys cooking it for others, as well as the camaraderie of the sport.

Each cook-off is different, since the judge’s wants are all different.

“You don’t cook for yourself,” said Rob Van Wagnor who tends to win when he doesn’t like the chili.

Next to the Van Wagoners were the Amarantes — two generations of cooks with different styles. Hal Amarantes and his wife Lucy, of Belmont, began cooking chili competitively in 1994. Hal shows off his many ribbons with pride at the front of the booth.

It began with a friend, then he brought his son in, Curt, who was cooking Cloud 9 chili with his wife Tania in the same tent.

Each Amarantes had a different set of ingredients and meat to be used on Sunday. Both were mellow before grill time, sitting in the shade. When it came to picking a favorite, Hal Amarantes had advice for the hungry consumers.

“It’s a subjective thing. If you find something you like, stick with it. But taste until you find the one you like,” he said.

Keeping with the tailgate vibe of the day was Dom’s Tailgate Chili made by Dominick Gallaghi of San Mateo.

Gallaghi, a painter by trade, began cooking about 15 years ago using a family recipe.

In his sixth year of cooking competitively he knows what the community wants, but hasn’t perfected what the judges are looking for.

Gallaghi makes his own hot sauce — which he keeps in an empty squeeze water bottle near the chili. His chili has a little kick but the hot sauce allows anyone interested to spice things up.

Anyone who missed the competition can get a taste of Gallaghi’s Chili which is sold in some Whole Foods Markets in the meat department.

Not everyone took the laid-back approach to the afternoon. Sex With No Hands, a polka party band from San Francisco, joined the competition for the second time this year. Last year the group earned second place. While cooking, the bandmates played various percussion instruments jamming behind the cooks with the words “chili” and “hot” used every so often.

“We all came last year,” said Emily Rolph. “We’re just here to have a good time.”

To learn more about the San Mateo County Fair visit www.sanmateocountyfair.com.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.

Chili Cook-off Winners

Showmanship

Dominic Gallaghi

Salsa

First: Mike Odonnell

Second: Dorothy Van Wagoner

Third: Ron Boiseranc

Green Chili

Ray Jackson

Community

First: John Boiseranc

Second: Ray Jackson

Third: Danlon Belanger

ICS (International Chili Society)

First: Steve McIntire

Second: Steve Atkinson

Third: Ron Boiseranc