Using a Texas recipe was like shooting fish in a barrel – the  only ones able to beat our family recipe were the friends who used our recipe. Our chili became known as the "recipe that won the west" and when Carroll Shelby was asked," what is the best chili you have ever eaten" he replied, "There are two men, C. V. Wood and a guy in Houston, Texas  Truett Airhart. They can cook for me anytime".

Over the past 30 years many cooks have participated in both the  ICS and CASI (the Terlingua group formed the"Chili Appreciation Society International) and now the chili has become very similar.  Both organizations are dedicated to cooking the best pot of chili and having fun - and have

 raised millions for various charities in doing so.

Truett Airhart, our family patriarch, convinced the National Kidney Foundation to hold a chili contest in Washington, D.C. that now earns over $500,000 annually. Over the past 20 years this event has raised millions for kidney research.

 The ICS is similar to a large family. Many members are retired and travel all over the world to compete. As a result, they have made lifelong friends, many of whom consider  chili the national dish of the United States. Some diehard members literally live for the World Championship contests. You have to win a state or regional contest to be eligible to enter the World Championship contests.

Chili is a very complex dish and time consuming to prepare so entrants have an ongoing desire to improve their special versions and use the I.C.S and/or C.A.S.I. as the hub of their lives. The ICS is a non-profit organization holding several hundred cook-offs each year throughout the world.

Contact the headquarters in San Juan Capistrano, if you are interested in joining the hundreds of members from all over the world. The I.C.S. contains dozens of funny stories about their chili cook-offs and all the characters and celebrities involved in this ongoing American tradition.

Texaschilispice Home

Product Page