Photo: Matt Ruiz at The Great Salt Lake Chili Affair

SALT LAKE CITY — Local Chef Matt Ruiz won the prestigious “Most Original Chili” award at the 36th Annual Great Salt Lake Chili Affair hosted by The Road Home. The Great Salt Lake Chili Affair has been held each Fall since 1986 and supports The Road Home’s programs and services that help people “step out of homelessness.”

Ruiz’s chili was aptly named “The Walking Taco” and featured a bison and beef chili blend served in a bag of Fritos. It was garnished with chives, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Ruiz is a chef at Westgate Park City’s Draft’s Burger Bar and will be serving the chili base from “The Walking Taco” for a limited time at the restaurant.

“It was my first time at the event, and I was pretty excited and nervous at the same time. I had an idea for the walking taco a long time ago, and it was a great addition to the competition. It turned out to be a hit and everyone was really excited about it. People kept coming back for more.”
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Ruiz said that Draft’s Burger Bar is talking about being able to serve “The Walking Taco” in Frito-bag format hopefully soon, and maybe even as a permanent menu item.

TownLift dared ask Ruiz about his stance on beans in chili. He said he’s “not too picky about it” but understands why the bean controversy is so important to chili fans. “The Walking Taco” featured black and kidney beans.

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