Wick Fowler's Chili Kits

10/30/2025

Carroll Shelby congratulates Wick Fowler after being crowned world champion at the 1970 Terlingua Chili Cook-Off. Previous winner C. V. Wood gave up his throne that he happened to bring along with him to Wick. And actress Ruta Lee, star of stage and screen, hands Wick his well deserved trophy.

According to Frank X Tolbert, Wick Fowler had bested a large number of contestants that year, “including a Mexican champion from Durango who spent most of the cook-off serenading the judges with border ballads sung in his pleasing baritone and accompanied by his guitar.” There were also three “attractive yet uninvited women contestants.” Janice Constantine of Midland tried to influence the judges with a mini-mini costume. She arrived in a chauffeured Rolls Royce with a “social secretary” and servants who set up a silver table service with live music furnished by the first violinist of Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra in formal evening attire.

For even more details consult “A Bowl of Red’ by Frank X Tolbert.

And the tradition continues - Viva Terlingua!

The Original Terlingua Chili Cook-off
October 29th - Nov 1st 2025
Information, schedule and tickets visit:
https://abowlofred.com/
⁠

10/30/2025

t was high noon in the Texas Ghost town of Terlingua. Wick Fowler, armed with a crumpled paper sack of chili peppers, faced off with H. Allen Smith, toting two cans of tomato paste. The great chili confrontation was on.⁠
⁠
Would it be won by Fowler, the Texas newspaper writer, and chili purist, with onions, chilis, cumin, cayenne, oregano, masa, and salt and pepper?⁠
⁠
Or would the title go to Smith, the upstart Yankee writer of “Nobody Knows More About Chili Than I Do,” with his onion, bell peppers canned tomatoes, and cooked kidney beans recipe?⁠
⁠
In 1967, in front of a few hundred onlookers, the first known World Championship Chili Cookoff was on.⁠
⁠
On November 1st, 2025, the 58th annual cookoff will determine the next chili champ.⁠
⁠

10/30/2025

In 1967 the first World Championship Chili Cook-off was held in the tiny ghost town of Terlingua, Texas. The showdown was between Texan Wick Fowler and New Yorker H. Allen Smith. The Terlingua location was picked because Smith thought no one could find it – or having found it, they would refuse to go there.

Terlingua is 109 miles south of Alpine, Texas and was once the mercury mining capitol of the world. By 1967 the population was about two, when a couple of ranchhands camped there overnight.

But as a result of publicity by Tom Tierny, a Dallas public relations man who did it “just for the hell of it” and the overblown war of words between the two chili contestants who were both gifted newspapermen and humorists, 250 people swarmed into town.

The first known World Championship Chili Cook-off was on.

From October 29th to Nov 1st the 58h annual cook-off is back on.⁠ Viva Terlingua!

The Original Terlingua Chili Cook-off
October 29th - Nov 1st 2023

Information, schedule and tickets visit:
https://abowlofred.com/⁠

02/13/2025

We’ve been servin’ up authentic Texas-style chili since 1967, using the World Championship recipe that lets you season to taste, just how you like it.

Thanks for the shoutout, Southern Living! Read the full article here: https://www.southernliving.com/wick-fowlers-2-alarm-chili-kit-8781250

It takes all the work out of dinner.

05/20/2024

When you’re worried about adding heat to the summer but still want the flavor, we’ve got a kit for that.⁠
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Find our False Alarm Mild Chili Kit at a nearby store or buy it online from the link in our bio.⁠
⁠

05/20/2024

When you're worried about adding heat to the summer but still want the flavor, we've got a kit for that.

Find our False Alarm Mild Chili Kit here: https://reilyproducts.com/products/wick-fowlers-false-alarm-chili-kit-2-8-oz/

04/16/2024

2 or False: This is what’s for dinner tonight… and tomorrow night… probably the next night…

11/03/2023

Wick Fowler, a founding member of the Chili Appreciation Society International, beloved Dallas newspaper man, and a mean Texas chili cook was considered the hands down a favorite to win the first series of Terlingua cook-offs that started in 1967. Except in those early days good times and tomfoolery prevailed over serious judging.

“The first two cook-offs had been pretty much spoofs. First year was declared a draw after a judge declared his taste buds had been paralyzed by the shock of tasting and swallowing H Allen Smith's chili with beans concoction.”

Frank X. Tolbert in “a Bowl of Red” described the second cook-off judging as follows “The judges had written out their votes and put them in a ballot box. Masked men, carrying fi****ms, appeared and took the ballot box and threw it into a … a mine shaft. By this time the California judges were too far gone in champagne for decisiveness. And the referee had to declare another draw.”

It wasn’t until “the 1970 World Series saw the dawn of an era of honest judging at Terlingua.” That is when Wick Fowler, an honest to God real Texas chili cook, got his due.

To be continued…

On November 4th, 2023, the 56th annual cook-off is back on.⁠ Viva Terlingua!

Information, schedule and tickets visit:
https://abowlofred.com/

11/03/2023

It was high noon in the Texas Ghost town of Terlingua. Wick Fowler, armed with a crumpled paper sack of chili peppers, faced off with H. Allen Smith, toting two cans of tomato paste. The great chili confrontation was on.⁠
⁠
Would it be won by Fowler, the Texas newspaper writer, and chili purist, with onions, chilis, cumin, cayenne, oregano, masa, and salt and pepper?⁠
⁠
Or would the title go to Smith, the upstart Yankee writer of “Nobody Knows More About Chili Than I Do,” with his onion, bell peppers canned tomatoes, and cooked kidney beans recipe?⁠
⁠
In 1967, in front of a few hundred onlookers, the first known World Championship Chili Cookoff was on.⁠
⁠
On November 4th, 2023, the 56th annual cook-off is back on.⁠ Viva Terlingua!

Information, schedule and tickets visit:
https://abowlofred.com/⁠
⁠

11/03/2023

In 1967 the first World Championship Chili Cook-off was held in the tiny ghost town of Terlingua, Texas. The showdown was between Texan Wick Fowler and New Yorker H. Allen Smith. The Terlingua location was picked because Smith thought no one could find it – or having found it, they would refuse to go there.

Terlingua is 109 miles south of Alpine, Texas and was once the mercury mining capitol of the world. By 1967 the population was about two, when a couple of ranchhands camped there overnight.

But as a result of publicity by Tom Tierny, a Dallas public relations man who did it “just for the hell of it” and the overblown war of words between the two chili contestants who were both gifted newspapermen and humorists, 250 people swarmed into town.

The first known World Championship Chili Cook-off was on.

On November 4th, 2023, the 56th annual cook-off is back on.⁠ Viva Terlingua!

The Original Terlingua Chili Cook-off
Nov. 1st - 4th, 2023

Information, schedule and tickets visit:
https://abowlofred.com/⁠

12/30/2022

For good luck in the new year, we’d recommend seconds!

Pressure Cooker Black-eyed Pea Chili made with Wick Fowler’s®️ Chili deliver protein-packed nutrition and adds unique flavor to chili.

12/27/2022

We have supper liftoff in 3… 2… 1…