Capacia said an excellent chili can be made with a blend of several dry chilis and fresh onions and cilantro instead of powdered spices and other ground seasonings. The chili intentionally lacks beans because Capacia wanted to set the dish apart from its competitors. Proceeds from ticket sales and auction items will go to Habitat For Humanity Inland Valley.Ĭapacia is on the Pechanga Café team and cooked a Tex-Mex birria chili made with street corn, Serrano chilis and garnished with cilantro and lime for a special kick. The event will also host a silent auction with items like a signed and framed autographed Kobe Bryant photo, a trip to Tuscany, Italy and spa packages. Each guest will get to vote for the best chili and award the winning restaurant a trophy. Some of the chili highlights include an Italian-style smoked short rib chili by Paisano’s, a cowboy chili made with smoked chuck and ground beef by Kelsey’s, a pork al pastor and beef chipotle chili by 1882 Cantina, and stuffed jalapeno short rib chili cornbread muffins and fried mac and cheese bites by the Banquets team. All drinks will be served alongside a variety of specialty chili cooked up by Pechanga’s restaurant chefs, each with a spin on the traditional chili dish. Blends Coffee will also serve non-alcoholic drinks, including a chili mango smoothie, a jalapeno cucumber refresher and a vanilla bean brew. The single-day event will feature over 100 craft beers from breweries, including Pizza Port, Flying Embers and Hangar 24. My mom, dad, uncles and relatives all cook, and it’s something that I love to do.”Ĭapacia, now the assistant executive chef, will help manage the 12th annual Microbrew Craft Beer and Chili Cook Off Festival Sunday, June 18, at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula.

“My passion was for cooking and it’s really in my blood. “I just didn’t feel passion,” Capacia said in a recent phone interview.

While he and several of his relatives enjoyed their time in the kitchen, he thought he’d find more success following the paths of his parents, but quickly realized something was missing. His mother was a nurse and his father was an electrical engineer. When chef Ronnel Capacia moved from Guam to Temecula as a teenager, becoming a cook wasn’t at the forefront of his mind.

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