Atlanta's Chomp and Stomp festival brings chili cooks and bluegrass fans to Cabbagetown

Cabbagetown was filled with the smell of chili and the sound of bluegrass this weekend. The neighborhood's annual Chomp and Stomp Festival brought together chili lovers, local restaurants and neighbors for a little friendly competition. CBS News Atlanta caught up with two teams in neighboring tents: a group of first-timers and a family of former champions. For newcomer Alex Cullen and his three friends, it all started with chopping 30 pounds of onions. "I wanted to do this because it seemed like a really fun way to hang out with my friends and get to be a part of the community where my mom lives, and where my best friend Charles lives," Cullen said. The team prepared its chili in a sauna in Charles' backyard in Cabbagetown. The secret to their recipe? A yeast extract called Marmite. While the rookies were learning the ropes, David Franklin and his family were in the next tent. The former chili cook-off champions have been competing for seven years. "The competition part came because my wife and I wanted to have a pastry competition where we were baking, and I had just recently bought a grill," Franklin said. "I was like, well, I could cook food on the grill, and we can have a bake-off, and then I saw an ad for a Chomp and Stomp. I said, you know what? Let's do it." Franklin said the best chili sits for a day or so. This year, his wife, Jacqueline, chose ground turkey and chorizo to give their recipe a little more kick. No matter how long the chili had been simmering, the real test came down to the judges. "For me it's got to have a deep red color, a nice spicy aroma, and a thick consistency and lots of beans," judge Cindy Carpentieri said. But for Cullen, the cook-off was about more than ribbons and recipes. "It feels like a real community vibe, like a team effort. Everybody's in it to have a good time. I know that there are winners and losers, but we all feel like winners," Cullen said. The cook-off featured meat, vegetarian and restaurant categories. Arakis Spice Company-Gom Jabbar won the meat category, and Mario Party Ate took first place in the vegetarian category. Firepit won the restaurant category with an Oklahoma Red made with beef and pork. In: Georgia Food & Drink Community Featured Local Savings