ASCC helped cook things up this April 1 in the Student Center by hosting the Chili and cupcake contest.

Part of the Spring Festival events that have been taking place this past week, the event allowed clubs to show off their cooking combinations and skill to be judged, leaving the winners awards and cash for their clubs.

Genesis Jimenez, medical assistant major, made her chili for the Passion for Children club, who visit charities and distribute toys to orphaned children and those in need.

According to Jimenez, her chili was made of corn, kidney beans, barbecue beans, sausage, tomato and onions.

“I can’t tell you the seasoning though, it’s a family recipe and secret,” she added.

“Just the beans alone took an hour to cook, and the seasoning took about a half hour to add.”

During the contest members of the judging panel, which was comprised of students and staff members, would go from bowl to bowl, sampling the different chilies.

In order to keep the voting unbiased, each pot was not labeled with the name of the club that made it, but with numbers.

Winners were announced midway through the Mr. Cerritos competition, with Diane Flores, child development major, winning favorite chili on behalf of the Phi Theta Kappa club, using a recipe that won her the same award last year.

Lorena Alvarez, culinary arts major, won for most creative ingredients by making “a bacon cupcake with a chocolate mousse filling, a maple butter cream, and candied bacon on top.”

“I thought that the winner was going to be announced right after not during the competition,” Flores said. “I didn’t get a chance to try anyone’s chili, I had to run out and feed the parking meter!”

Christopher Gonzales, radiology major, boasted that the Anthropology club was making the best kind of chilies.

While Gonzales himself did not make the chili, he stood in for its creator.

“We have here a beef and wild boar chili with a bit of an habanero punch.”

Gonzales hoped that the chili would take first place for its taste, the length it took to make the dish was a challenge in and of itself.

“The original cook said that it took him all night. He had to cook the lentils and boar on a separate skillet, then run it through a food processor to get the right effect.”

Winners were awarded with a plaque that commemorated their award and received money for their clubs.