HARD TIMES
CHILI SPICE COMPANY
Cincinnati Spice Mix $7.89
Classic midwest blend. Hints of cinnamon.
Texas Spice Mix $7.89
Ira Goodfellow’s recipe from the 1800’s. The oldest family secret.
Terlingua Red Spice Mix $7.89
Our spicy competition blend
Vegetarian Chili Mix $7.89
Meatless Mondays? We’ve got you covered!
Apparel and Gear
Our classic ‘boy-in-the-tub’ T-shirts, Aprons, and bandanas
Condiments
Our spicy hot sauce and chili vinegar
Gifts
Our Delux Chili Kit and Chili Samplers make unique gifts
Our Story
*All featured photos taken by the Parker/Goodfellow family (early 1900s)
Preserving an American Culinary Tradition
Chili was invented during the great cattle drives of the 1800s where the American cowboy was born. My great grandfather, Ira Goodfellow, was one of these cowboys. He learned the family recipe from a chuck-wagon cook on the trail before marrying and settling in Oklahoma Territory.
The People’s Food
When the cattle herds were replaced by railroads, the out-of-work chuck wagon cooks moved into towns and the American "chili joint" was born. When the great depression struck, it was these chili joints that made the difference between eating and starving. Ira’s daughter, Irma, set up one of these chili joints in Gracemont, Oklahoma.
Hard Times Cafe
Before Irma died she wrote the recipe down on paper and gave it to us. Using this recipe, my father, Fred Parker, his brother, Jim Parker, and partner Barry Thompson started the Hard Times Cafe in Alexandria, Virginia in 1980, which seeks to maintain this unique American culinary institution.
Share the gift of chili
From the birth of the American cowboy, through the Great Depression, to the Chili Cook-off renaissance of the 1980’s, chili’s humble yet delicious appeal has always brought people together. It is best when shared!