"Behind The Scenes" with Lily Peterson 

Today I'm (Jasmine) interviewing Western student, Lily Peterson. She's competed for the second year in a row in Western's Spirit Week Chili Cook-Off competition! 

Jasmine: Are you known for your chili?

Lily: To be honest, most people on campus know me more for my defensive line on the soccer team than my skills with a crockpot. Last year, when I signed up for the Chili Cook-Off, I think my teammates thought I’d just show up with a can of Hormel chili. But being a student-athlete actually taught me how to win: you have to be different and just be yourself.

Jasmine: You won last year, right? What was that like?

Lily: Winning that first year with my Red Chicken Enchilada Chili was a total rush. I was literally prepping ingredients in my tiny dorm kitchen, trying to find space on a 5x5 cutting board to chop my onions. It was lighter, creamier, chili and honestly, my fellow student athletes voting for me helped secure the People’s Choice Awards.

Jasmine: What did you expect for this year and how did you prepare?

Lily: Coming back this year, I knew I had a target on my back. I couldn’t just do the same thing twice, so I pivoted to a Green Chili Verde with Pork. This one was a labor of love—I spent hours roasting pork, onion, hatch chiles until they were perfectly charred, then slow-simmered the pork until it was falling apart. This year instead of winning People’s Choice Awards, I swept the Judges off their feet and won 1st place. I wish I could come back next year but I will be graduated and moved on from Western.

Congratulation to Lily on her victory at this year's Chili Cook-Off! If you want to compete make sure you follow the westernwyoming.edu/spiritweek page for all information and updates!