We caught up with Leonardo “Tabasco” Guerrero, the reigning champ at Bubba’s annual chili cookoff. We found out about he is going to defend his title at this year's competition, which takes place this Saturday.

How did you originally enter the competition?
To be honest, I had never made chili before. In Mexico we don’t really eat chili. My teammate Clay suggested I enter and I ended up winning Bubba’s chili cookoff two years in a row, as well as the 2009 Zapata’s chili cookoff in Suzhou. So far I’m undefeated.

You feeling the pressure this year?
Definitely. I thought about retiring and becoming a judge but decided to give it another shot. There’s pretty stiff competition from contenders like Dave Henderson and newcomers the Texpats.

So what’s your secret recipe?
We’ve always done a chipotle-based chili, but last year a lot of people copied that concept. This year we’ll switch it up a bit with a newly imported secret ingredient.

Any advice for first time chefs?
Bring your home recipe. Don’t go super fancy or get too ambitious. Just do something balanced and good.

How about favorite team themes?
Chris Kelley’s Chippendales outfit definitely goes down in history as the most ridiculous costume. We’re excited for some awesome new themes and may surprise everyone with our own.

What’s your favorite part of the competition?
You start so early. At 6am we’re all out there with beers in hand and everyone is so friendly and excited. There’s lots of joking and telling each other, “you’re going down!” For spectators, there’s tons of good food, good music and good people. It really is one of the most fun days of the year.

DETAILS:

What: Bubba's Sixth Annual Chili Cookoff

When: Sat. Oct. 22, 12pm

Where: Bubba's Expo Village

Tel: 2206-0338