Mitch Traphagen Photo
The competition was fierce. On Saturday, off-duty officers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office District IV office in Ruskin brought forth their best…carrying in slow cookers filled with chili for the annual HCSO Chili Cook Off. Major Ron Hartley and other officers put in a valiant effort with seven tantalizing presentations of chili con carne, including one in an unusual shade of yellow (which was very good, by the way) but, as with all contests, there could be only one winner and a panel of independent judges (full disclosure: I was one of them) bestowed that honor upon the spice-laden concoction made by Deputy Larry Gossage. Shortly afterwards, each of the slow cookers were emptied thus proving that when it comes to chili, it’s all good.
