Zillion's Chili Seasoning
After tinkering for years on a recipe for the perfect chili, it came to Richard Zillion in a dream.
“I went to bed one night and dreamed the formula. I got up, wrote it down and then went out and bought the spices. I finally hit on it,” said Zillion, a lifelong chili aficionado who sells his bottled spice blend — Zillion's Chili Bowl Chili Mild Seasoning Mix.
The retired Secretary of State security guard and bread-truck driver first started selling the chili-seasoning blend after his prophetic night of sleep in 1976. He keeps the recipe in a safe deposit box and will only reveal that the mix contains chili powder, onions, paprika, a little salt and “other spices.” “There's one spice in there that balances everything out, but I won't tell you what it is,” said the Springfield man.
