Star of Gold - Lost in Translation

Those of you reading this blog who are from the Ohio Valley, or have happened to spend any time in the Midwest, have heard of, tried, or even have a passion for “Cincinnati Chili”. Those of you who are not familiar only need to know that this interesting version of chili, more sauce than meat, flavored with hints of cinnamon and maybe even chocolate (no one really knows because the recipe is a closely guarded secret) is something of a religion in the greater Cincinnati area, with families and friends sometimes split in a massive feud over which brand (Gold Star or Skyline) is better. This is neither the time nor place for that argument, but it is time for a little story…….

In the 1960's the four Daoud brothers from Amman, Jordan immigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio with the goal to live the American Dream, own their own restaurant, and create the largest chili restaurant chain in the world. The brothers tinkered with recipes, using Cincinnati’s original Skyline Chili (Founded on the West Side in 1949) as an inspiration to create their own version of “Cincinnati Chili”. In 1965, Gold Star Chili was born in a former hamburger joint in Mt. Washington on Cincinnati’s East Side.

In 1980, one of the four brothers moved back to his homeland of Jordan and started the Rio Café. The café originally served traditional foods that he had grown to love in the USA including American-style hamburgers and fries, salads, etc. But soon he combined his Rio Café menu with the menu of the now famous Gold Star Chili to create The Chili House.

The Chili House now operates restaurants all over the Middle East, serving Gold Star Chili in Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, the U.A.E., Sudan, and Qatar.

Last night I brought a few ex-pat colleagues of mine to the outlet at Abdoun Circle to introduce them to the unique taste of “Cincinnati Chili”. The last time I had Gold Star was last October at the Bengals game (They are in fact the official chili sponsor of the Bengals), and although I was thoroughly drunk at that time, I remembered it tasting different than last night. Not as much chili, not as much cheese, not nearly enough onion; so something must have been lost in translation so to speak, but the idea was there.

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