The Authentic History of Cincinnati Chili

by Dann Woellert

Cincinnati chili is its own special creation with a unique flavor and style. Uncover the essential parlors originating and serving this unique Cincinnati specialty in this thorough history of its roots and restaurants.
Cincinnati is certainly judged by its chili. Some claim it's not even chili, but those are just fighting words to natives who have developed the crave. Cincinnati is a long way from El Paso, and our chili is not Tex-Mex style. It is a unique blend typically served as a over spaghetti and covered in shredded cheddar cheese. From its 1922 roots with the Slavic-Macedonian immigrant brothers Kiradjieff in a burlesque theater, Cincinnati chili has become a million-dollar industry supporting 250 chili parlors. Many chili parlors have come and gone, but a few familiar names Dixie, Camp Washington, Gold Star, Price Hill and Skyline. This is their amazing chili story.

Genres: History, Food, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2013

Reviews

[George Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the book for a while, but tore through it quickly. Growing up in Cincinnati In the 1970s meant I probably visited a lot of these with my parents. I remember my dad talking about some of chili parlors, but I don’t remember them. I’m so glad that central Florida has a skyline about 50 minutes from my house. I can take care of the Crave two to three times a month.

The book was a great look at the history and major players in the chili world. It felt a little long winded at times with the genealogy, but it gave a deeper resonance to the work.

[Pamela Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Had “The Crave” the Whole Time I Was Reading

Loved this from cover to cover. Being a native of the Queen City, this is what I grew up eating and was the only chili I knew for years.
My introduction to chili as a child (in the early 1950s) was at Camp Washington Chili which was within walking distance from my home on Hopple Street. Our apartment building was torn down with the expansion of I-75 to make the Hopple Street on ramp.
We relocated to Mt Washington and discovered Hamburger Heaven on Beechmont. My grandmother would take me there when she did her weekly shopping trips.
By the time Hamburger Heaven was changed to Gold Star, my friends and I were allowed to walk to Beechmont and would stop in several days a week after school for a chili fix or at least a soft drink.
We would sometimes stop in after a Saturday matinee at the Elstun theater for a three-way and a coney before going home.
I remember when Wendy’s opened in Clifton and advertised chili. We tried it and were shocked. It didn’t taste like chili to us.
This book was like reliving my childhood through all the chili parlors wherever we went in Cincinnati.
Others have tried to imitate it but outsiders just can’t seem to tweak it to get the right consistency and flavor.
The book was not only a celebration of our contribution to the culinary world of a regional favorites but also a tribute to family and community through the things we share. It was also a wonderful history of Cincinnati and how people came here under dire circumstances and not only found a new home but made lasting contributions leaving legacies that will not be forgotten.
A must read for any Cincinnatian or aficionado of Cincinnati style chili.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each region of the US is known for its unique foods some of which will surprise people in what they are & others may repulse you for not understanding them fully. Dann Woellert tackles the history of one of the more unique ones in Southwestern Ohio - Cincinnati Chili with "The Authentic History of Cincinnati Chili". For those not familiar with this form of chili, it is chili that is put on top of spaghetti which is further topped with cheddar cheese and additional things depending on what you want which can include an as many as 3 different additional toppings. What is also unique is that each of the various chili chains or parlors as the restaurants are known haven taken a recipe that originated from Greece, Bulgaria & Macedonia which came to the US due to WWI & the Balkan Wars. Woellert goes through these various histories and stories and provides a recipe or 2 along the way. What is also interesting is how the versions "3-way, 4-way, 5-way" came into being from a jargon standpoint and what also separates each one from the others. There's also the history of the cheese coney & how it took on a Cincinnati style flare as well. This is a unique find for anyone who gets those cravings for this type of chili and for those who have left the Cincinnati metropolitan area to get a taste of home.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that I read an entire book on this subject probably establishes that I have a problem. Leaving that aside, this is a fairly impressive book for what it is. I don't expect much of these little local-interest publications, but this was remarkably deep and well researched. Sometimes that level of research had a negative impact on the readability - actually it happened pretty often - but I can't really fault the author for that. If you're setting out to write an authoritative history of Cincinnati-style chili, why leave stuff out?

What's that, you say? It's the editor's job to make the author leave stuff out? Well, this is one of those books that betrays no hint of every having been glanced at by an editor. There are plenty of typos, repetitions and awkward little writerly flourishes that shouldn't have been allowed to stand. But that seems standard for this sort of small-press non-fiction, and it's not super egregious to the point where it makes the book unreadable.

I started this book with the suspicion that it would be a huge waste of time that I would likely give up on halfway through. And while it was a bit of a slog at times, I have to give the author credit for crafting a truly informative and complete history.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're from the Cincinnati area this book will prove quite interesting. It goes into the entire history of Cincinnati chili, who the people were who were responsible for its beginning, how it changed over time and how one brand blossomed into others.

One of the most important points is that Cincinnati chili is due totally to immigrants from other countries. They came to the U.S. to build a better life for themselves (and some were fleeing vicious attacks by Communists in their native country). They worked really hard and gave birth to a major regional cuisine.

It notes that there are around 250 chili parlors in the area with most of them either Skyline or Gold Star Chili. Empress was the first chili parlor, though.

The book also goes into how the parlors were carefully located near theaters, a rather smart idea. Over time the theaters gradually died off but the chili parlors mainly remained. The book also goes into the marketing and charity angles of the parlors, showing that many of them give back to their communities.

My own favorite is Skyline, usually a three-way and a couple conies.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you have the crave for some chili or a coney just looking at that cover? I have been curious about where this stuff came from since moving to the area, and what was missing when I made it with the spice packet vs eating in a chili parlor. I still think cocoa makes the recipe so close to the taste of restaurant chili as to be nearly perfect, yet supposedly it is a myth.
So, readers unfamiliar with the chili might be a little surprised to find a recipe for chili with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, anise, paprika, red pepper, garlic among others. Such a sweet and savory mixture didn't seem very appetizing at first, now it's an obsession.
This book gets a little dry as it covers the location and family history of each of the founding families and the respective chili parlors, but overall I enjoyed learning some interesting facts and seeing all of the pictures as the years progressed and the crave grew.

[Mark NP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent research project on the Greek chili phenomenon in Cincinnati, Ohio. Essential reading for anyone interested in the proliferation of Greek chili sauce in the 20th century. Dann takes a deep dive into the extensive family tree of Greek chili entrepreneurs and provides a sweeping overview of the notable chili parlours in the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky region (with particular emphasis on the west side of Cincinnati). Heavy on genealogy, but plenty of additional research on recipes and significant buildings, plus the originators of the ubiquitous parlours across Cincinnati. Woellert's explanation of the connection between nearby theaters and the spread of chili parlours permeates the research and fills out the book. Great work, Dann!

[Joelene Kammer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself isn't bad, a decent and interesting history of Cincinnati chili. However, whoever edited this book did a mediocre job, at best. I found so many spelling and word mistakes throughout, which is why I gave it 3 stars, or else I would have given 4.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? Skyline is life.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read and it made me eager to try the chili at various restaurants in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. What I learned is that the vast majority of Cincinnati chili variations all started at Empress Chili. Employees there struck out on their own with their own variation of the recipe after gaining some experience in the restaurant industry at Empress. Most of the chili "parlors" were next to movie theaters to take advantage of the crowds there. It was also interesting to learn that most of the immigrants who started the chili craze in Cincinnati were from the same area of Macedonia and many were fleeing the conflicts between Greeks and Turks. When I started the chapter on Gold Star, I thought that finally there was one chain that did not originate in that same area - the family was from Jordan. But reading a bit further, I found out that they bought the restaurant and the recipe from the original Greek owners. Gold Star became so successful that some of the family returned to Jordan and opened "Chili House" restaurants in Jordan. At the time, they were the only place that Jordanians could get American-style hamburgers and Cincinnati Chili. At the time of the writing of this book, Cincinnati chili was available in Syria and Egypt, with plans to expand the franchise to several other Gulf States.

[Rob Withers]

For those outside the Cincinnati area wondering "how interesting could a book about beans be?", you need to know:

Cincinnati chili doesn't HAVE beans in it's default form
It's not Tex-Mex: it was created by Slavic Macedonians... And is (except for a few restaurants in the middle east and Florida) local to the area.
The largest chain in the area was started by Greek immigrants with connections to the original restaurant; and the 2nd largest chain evolved by a restaurant bought by a Jordanian family... again, no Tex-Mex.