Jimmy Stewart Vegetarian Chili

There’s never been another movie star quite like Jimmy Stewart.

The star of such classics as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Winchester ’73 (1950), and Rear Window (1954), Jimmy Stewart was a versatile actor as beloved for his genuine niceness off-screen as he was for his undeniable talent and charisma in his films.

A Real-Life, Down to Earth Hero

As a bomber pilot in Europe during WWII—with 20 combat missions and over 2,000 hours of flying B-24 Liberators to his name, Colonel James Stewart became the highest ranking movie star in the military, and the definition of a real-life hero.

Also admirable, Jim remained faithfully married to the same woman for 45 years, in Hollywood no less.

Despite these commendable accomplishments, there’s something so approachable about this movie star the whole world feels comfortable calling “Jimmy.”  It’s natural; as if Jim himself told us to skip the formalities.

A Man of Simple Tastes

So perhaps it’s not all that surprising to learn that Jim was a man of simple tastes when it came to the food he enjoyed.  As Jimmy’s daughter Kelly once shared:

“He liked simple food and he liked food he knew.  He used to order the same meal at Chasen’s for a decade or so, and then switched to another meal for the next decade.  And he hated huge heaping portions—he had a small appetite.”

The restaurant Kelly mentions, Chasen’s, was the beloved Hollywood eatery of Dave Chasen.  Located at the corner of Doheny Drive and Beverly Blvd., Chasen’s became the neighborhood hangout of the stars.

Regulars over the years included Jimmy, Clark Gable, Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Lucille Ball.

Jimmy Stewart and Chasen’s

Perhaps one of the things that drew a guy of simple tastes like Jimmy Stewart to Chasen’s was that from the restaurant’s opening in 1936 to its closing in 1995, Dave Chasen never let his place get too fancy to serve the dish that started it all: his famous chili.  Dave’s legendary chili was so good, Liz Taylor had it shipped to her from Hollywood to Rome—for the then exorbitant sum of $100—when she filmed the epic Cleopatra (1963).

Indeed, Chasen’s was one of the few restaurants where the frugal Jimmy Stewart was willing to spend his hard-earned cash.

According to Jim’s wife Gloria, even during their courtship, getting Jimmy to take her out for a meal was like pulling teeth:

“He was always tight with his money.  I thought with me he might loosen up a little.  But he didn’t.  I kept saying, ‘Let’s go out to eat at a restaurant,’ and he kind of fumbled and mumbled and said something about why spend money in a restaurant when I—I—could cook.  Finally I said, ‘Let’s go to a restaurant and I’ll pay.’  His sense of pride as a man overcame his sense of prudence, and he finally took me out to dine.

When [a film] had its premiere, Jim asked me if I wanted to go.  I said, ‘If we go to the premiere, does it mean you’re actually going to feed me as well?’”

You gotta love Gloria’s trademark wit and sass.

Jimmy Stewart’s Favorite Restaurant

Despite Jimmy’s penny-pinching ways, Jim and Gloria, and later the whole Stewart family, were known to eat at Chasen’s twice a week, where Jimmy would order something simple like Sole Hitchcock or vichyssoise.  And if he was in the mood, dessert was always a single scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Inspiration for Vegetarian Chili

I can’t go on the record as saying that chili was a favorite meal of Jimmy Stewart’s.  But for a man who frequented a restaurant famous for its chili, it’s easy to imagine that Jim, with his love of simple foods, enjoyed a bowl or two of Dave’s chili over the years.

It’s this image of Jim, sitting down at his favorite booth with a pal or his family, enjoying Chasen’s chili with a side of their celebrated cheese toast, that inspired me to create my Jimmy Stewart Vegetarian Chili.

And Vegetarian Chili Cheese Toast.

Hours of research led me to Dave Chasen’s original chili recipe.  I admit my vegetarian chili is a completely different dish, but I tried to stay true to the spirit of Dave’s recipe.  I included many of the veggies in Chasen’s chili—such as tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion—and the herbs and seasonings Dave used, namely cumin and fresh parsley. These elements of my recipe are a taste of what Jim and Hollywood’s other luminaries would have enjoyed at Chasen’s.

Vegetarian Chili or Vegetarian Chili Cheese Toast

Enjoy my Jimmy Stewart Vegetarian Chili as is, or go all out and make it chili cheese toast.

Either way, this recipe is my tribute to Jimmy Stewart, a great man, a genuine nice guy, and a one-of-a-kind original.

Two Things!

My Favorite Meat Substitute for Vegetarian Chili

I reccomend using Morning Star Veggie Grillers Crumbles for the meat substitute in this chili.  You can find it at just about any grocery store.

My Favorite Spatula

With all the veggie sautéing and stirring, this recipe is the perfect time to use my favorite spatula.  It’s technically a cookie spatula, but I use it for everything.  The small size of this spatula means more control over what you flip and where it lands.  You can find my favorite spatula here on Amazon [aff. link].

You can also find it in my Amazon store here.