 National food critics Jane and Michael Stern wrote , " As connoisseurs of blue @-@ plate food , we consider Cincinnati chili one of America 's quintessential meals " and " one of this nation 's most distinctive regional plates of food " . Huffington Post named it one of " 15 Beloved Regional Dishes " . In 2000 , Camp Washington Chili won a James Beard Foundation America 's Classics Award . In 2013 , Smithsonian named Cincinnati chili one of " 20 Most Iconic Foods in America " , calling out Camp Washington Chili as their destination of choice . John McIntyre , writing in the Baltimore Sun , called it " the most perfect of fast foods " , and , referring to the misnomer , opined that " if the Greeks who invented it nearly a century ago had called it something other than chili , the [ chili ] <unk> would be able to enjoy it " . In 2015 , Thrillist named it " the one food you must eat in Ohio . " 
