It takes a day in advance to make and often times, gallons of it are gone after the lunch hour. CCJ News Director Amyre Makupson, spent time with Joe Mullendore, the man behind the restaurant Joe D’s on Ingleside in Macon, to find out how his chili is able to feed the soul and fill the belly of his customers all at the same time.

“If I run out of Chili, I’m in trouble”, says Joe Mullendore, owner and chef at Joe D’s on Ingleside in Macon.

 Joe Mullendore makes a lot of chili.

“We go through about 20 something gallons of chili a week here at Joe D’s” , says Mullendore.

 As the owner and chef at Joe D’s on Ingleside, he knows the winter months mean one thing.

“There’s always someone in the mood for a good, hot bowl of chili, you know a comforting bowl of chili”, says Mullendore.

“Cold is very good for Chili”, says Steve Kruger, a customer of Joe D’s.

 Steve Kruger is a long time fan of the chili at Joe D’s, especially on cold days.

“It’s the best in town. Just the flavoring and the way they make it”, says Kruger.

It’s a recipe that takes time.

“Time. The good seasonings I put in, salt and pepper, cumin, garlic powder and I always like to just let it simmer a day ahead”, says Mullendore.

 And like all good comfort food, feeds the soul as much as it does the body.

“Comfort food is all about what you did in the kitchen as a kid with your grandparents, or your parents, mom and dad or your siblings. And I think people have recipes for comfort food that remind them of their grandmother or mother or father or grandfather. A lot of what I do here reminds me of my grandfather, I think he would be proud of his grandson”, says Mullendore.

The soup selection changes daily at Joe D’s but chili is always on the menu.