Sturgis StormWatch: Senior Trip Chili Fundraiser at the Hyer's Home

Senior Trip Chili Fundraiser at the Hyer's Home

All photos and text by Ted Jameson, staff pseudonym

The Chili Crew on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Hyer's house in Wellfleet

On Saturday, November 17, thirteen seniors and Jeff and Denise Hyer worked together and made 20 gallons of Jeff's chili to help raise money to defray the cost of the Senior Trip next May. Prior to Saturday, there had been 73 quarts of chili pre-sold. Including what has been sold during lunch, the seniors have raised over $600. This amount is possible because of the generosity of parents who donate the ingredients or Stop and Shop gift cards, which allows the sales to be 100% profit.

For 20 gallons of chili the quantity of the ingredients is staggering: 30 pounds of steak, 32 28-oz cans of tomatoes, 45 cans of beans, 24 onions, 132 cloves of garlic, 200 ounces of beef broth, 140 cubes of beef bouillon, and so on.

To tame the large quantities of ingredients the students were assigned teams and worked at various stations, such as onion and garlic cutting, steak searing, steak cutting, onion/garlic sauteing, can opening, bean draining and rinsing, and pot stirring.

The process began at 9 a.m. and ended at 5:55 p.m. when several students took all of the packaged chili quarts to the school to be stored in the student refrigerators. Those who purchased the chili are able to pick it up during Parent-Teacher Conference Day on Nov. 19.

Ingredients and supplies ready to go.

24 large white onions and 132 cloves of garlic being chopped

Grillmasters Ketryn and Kylie sear 30 pounds of steak over a wood fire

Denise Hyer teaches Ben and Casey how to cut across the grain of the steak so it is more tender

Kylie opens tomatoes. 32 28oz cans were needed.

Stephanie, Shannon and Alan stir the chili. Three large pots were needed.

Lunch: 4 slow-smoked chickens

Mr. Fetzer and Mr. Wooten (of West) made guest appearances.

Mr. Hyer's pulled smoked chicken and homemade bourbon BBQ sauce.

The finished product. 20 gallons total. 73 quarts were pre-sold.

To help ease confusion with the different sized pots, each were given a name. From left to right the 30 quart pot is Meowseph Stalin, the 25 quart pot is Kitler and the 50 quart pot is Chairman Meow. Students were assigned to teams for each pot.