Las Vegas, Nevada....Kurt Leithner (grey sweatshirt and sunglasses) standing in front of the stage where they bring all of the final table cooks before they announce the Top 3.
Downtown Toms River Chili Verde Winner Makes Finals at World’s Championship
For Immediate Release: Media Contact: Contact: Susan Greitz Tel: 732-946-2711 susan@allenconsulting.com
November 14, 2008
Toms River, NJ… One of the competitors from this year’s New Jersey State Chili and Salsa Cookoff in Toms River gained recognition as one of the top Chili Verde cooks in the world at the ICS World Championships, held this year in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kurt Leithner of Avenel, NJ has, for two years in a row, captured first place in the Chili Verde category at the annual New Jersey State Chili and Salsa Cook-Off, held each May in Downtown Toms River. That qualified him to compete in the International Chili Society’s (ICS) annual World’s Championship. Cooking under the name “Dirty Kurty Chili”, Leithner, who works for the State of New Jersey as a building sub code official, just returned from his trip to the ICS’s 2008 World’s Championship Chili Cookoff, which was held October 10 – 12 in Las Vegas.
He competed in the Chili Verde and Last Chance in Red category, where he earned points but didn’t place. In the Chili Verde category he made it to the final table, quite an accomplishment considering the preliminary round had 146 entries. The final round was narrowed to 30 entrants by approximately 120 judges; on the final round another group of 20 judges placed Leithner three points out of fifth place, putting him at approximately 13th place in the world.
This was Leithner’s third trip to the World’s Championship. Growing up, he learned to cook as a Boy Scout, and has always enjoyed it. He even worked at various restaurants while attending college. He started entering small local chili competitions for fun and because they usually helped benefit some worthy cause. He competed for about 10 years at local events around the state and his entries always did well; then four years ago he stumbled into his first official ICS competition and placed 3rd. After that, he sought out ICS sanctioned events, and two years ago decided to enter into the chili verde category, where he has enjoyed great success, in addition to competing in red chili.
Leithner’s participation in the Toms River event was a natural evolution for two reasons: first, because it’s the only state level sanctioned event in New Jersey and second, because it’s one of the earliest in the competition season. He enjoys meeting different cooks from around the country and sharing tips on how to improve his entries. In his quest to be the best, Leithner admits to ordering a few of his ingredients from New Mexico. His recipes are even featured on the menu at The Cup Entertainment Complex & Grill, East Elizabeth Ave. in Linden, where his red chili recipe has been offered for the past two years and they started featuring his chili verde recipe this year.
Leithner looks forward to competing at the Toms River event in May next year and defending his first place Chili Verde standing. In 2009 Downtown Toms River will be celebrating their 20th anniversary for the event, and it’s sure to be a special celebration. The New Jersey State Chili and Salsa Cook-off will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2009. Anyone interested in participating as a cook can visit www.chili-nj.com or call 732-946-2711.
For additional information on the festival or to enjoy the event as a volunteer, call 732-341-8738 or Allen Consulting at 732-946-2711, or visit www.DowntownTomsRiver.com
