BioHouston hosted its 11th annual Chili Cookoff Friday, bringing together the city’s life science and biotech communities for some culinary innovation.
Twenty-two teams set up tents at the Bayou City Events Center with decor that featured the 1970s, Alice in Wonderland, Margaritaville, and alien and zombie worlds. A DJ mixed tunes in between sets of the Annika Chambers and the House Rules (including David Carter of Capital Royalty playing guitar), and attendees tried their luck at contests for both jalapeño-eating and hula-hooping.
As per tradition, the Texas Heart Institute performed a dance routine. In previous years, the team has shimmied to the theme from Peanuts—“Good Grief. Don’t Have a Coronary, Charlie Brown”— and “Stayin’ Alive” from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. This year—to go along with the zombie theme—their team chose a combo of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “Beat it.”
Here is the full list of winners for this year’s cook-off:
Traditional
1. Lonza Houston
2. Bellicum Pharmacuticals
3. Cyberonics, Cyber Bikers
Non-Traditional
1. OrthoAccel Technologies, The Accelerators
2. Lexicon Pharmaceuticals
3. Texas BioAlliance, Cowboys on Vacation
Spicy
1. VWR International, Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Texas Heart Institute, “Heart Disease is no Thriller. THI Can Beat It, Just Beat It.”
3. Boulware and Valoir
Grand Champion: OrthoAccel Technologies, The Accelerators
Most Unique Team/Booth: CitareTX Investment Partners, “Take Me To Your Chili”
Best Booth: Texas Heart Institute, “Heart Disease is no Thriller. THI Can Beat It, Just Beat It.”
Best-Dressed Team: Texas Heart Institute
