Meet Yvon Desrosiers, chili queen

********************* "Chili buffs in San Antonio - and in most of Texas, for that matter - say the stuff called 'chili' was invented there, probably by 'Chili Queens,' women who dotted the Military Plaza and sold highly seasoned brews called 'chili' from rudimentary carts, all through the night, to a cadre of customers who rode in from all over the prairies to singe their tonsils."

- History of Chili, the International Chili Society

********************* "Recent action of the city health department in ordering removal from Haymarket Square of the chili queens and their stands brought an end to a 200-year-old tradition .... Writing men like Stephen Crane and O. Henry were impressed enough to immortalize the queens in their writings."

- San Antonio Light newspaper, September 12, 1937

********************* "Some Spanish priests were said to be wary of the passion inspired by chili peppers, assuming they were aphrodisiacs. A few preached sermons against indulgence in a food which they said was almost as 'hot as hell's brimstone.' 'Soup of the Devil,' one called it. The priests' warning probably contributed to the dish's popularity."

- Linda Stradley, I'll Have What They're Having - Legendary Local Cuisine

********************* "Detestable food passing itself off as Mexican, sold in the U.S. from Texas to New York."

- definition of chili contained in the Diccionario de Mejicanismos, 1959

********************* "Anybody that eats chili can't be all bad."

- New Mexico lawman Pat Garrett, referring to Billy the Kid, whom he later shot to death

********************* Yvon Desrosiers (shown above) from the Holiday Inn was helping serve up the Devil's Soup to a record crowd at this year's ChiliFest at the Roberta Bondar Tent Pavilion.

Organizers of the Sault Area Hospital Foundation fund-raiser tell SooToday.com that the event drew an unprecedented 2,800 adults and more than 500 children.

For the third year running, the Lone Star Texas Grill and Bar won the People's Choice Award.

Full list of 2005 ChiliFest winners

Best chili - first place Fratelli's Kitchen

Best chili - second place Docks Restaurant

Best chili - third place Daisy Cafe

Best-tasting hottest chili Joey Calzone

Best-decorated booth Fratelli's Kitchen

Spirit Award Mick's Place Pub and Grub

People's Choice Award Lone Star Texas Grill