This past Sunday, thousands of Milwaukeeans flocked to the MSOE Kern Center for WMSE’s 17th annual Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser. Several hours later, they all went home and found a nice place to curl up and think about what they had done. But seriously: the 2019 installment of the radio station’s ever-popular and awesome chili blowout was another one for the books, featuring more than 50 Milwaukee restaurants, cafes, and caterers serving up a cavalcade of chili samples to the masses. Live music from Dick Satan Trio, chili pepper races, and Lakefront beer once again rounded out the fun.
So who were the big winners? Glad you asked. Per WMSE:
Best Meat: Kettle Range Meat Company (returning champ)
Runners-up: Odd Duck, Puddler’s Hall
Best Veggie: Beans & Barley (returning champ)
Runners-up: SmallPie, Riverwest Co-Op
Best Heat: Lakefront Brewery (returning champ)
Runners-up: Safehouse, Good Harvest Market
Most Unique: DanDan (returning champ)
Runners-up: Nightmare’s, Braise
Best Display: Lakefront Brewery (Brewed Café owned this spot for 10 years)
Runners-up: Brewed Café, Stubby’s Gastrogrub & Beer Bar
Best Firehouse: Milwaukee Fire Department Repair Shop