Even though she often heard she should enter her chili in the various contests around the state, Estella Wagner of Pine Bluffs was always reluctant. Then she heard about Peppers on the Plaza, the Cheyenne Depot Museums’ first annual chili cook-off. Again, Wagner hesitated but this time, her husband took matters into his own hands.

"My husband had been telling me to enter and I kept saying I might but I never did," said Wagner. "And one day he just showed up with the entry forms."

"It was kind of scary," Wagner said. "I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but I decided to just go ahead and do it," she added.

Wagner said her green chili with pork meat is an old family recipe and, like all good chilis, contains a secret ingredient.

"Lots of people at the cook-off tried to guess what the secret ingredient was," said Wagner. "There were a couple people who were close but no one guessed it."

Wagner said her chili has a good kick but it’s not so hot that people can’t enjoy it.

Speaking about the cook-off, Wagner said she was really impressed with all the great chilis at the cook-off and a bit overwhelmed when people kept coming back for hers.

"I really didn’t know what to think when people kept coming back for seconds and telling me how good it was," she said.

Wagner said people were so impressed with her chili that more than one person suggested she enter the Chugwater Chili Cook-Off.

"I not so sure I’m ready for that," Wagner said, "but maybe in the future I’ll enter that one."

Wagner went on to say she didn’t expect to take fan favorite at the cook-off but she was definitely pleased with the outcome.