The 325 gallons of free chili served every year at Pullman’s National Lentil Festival requires a little more than just a pinch of salt and a dash of hot sauce.

Two months ago, Chris Siple, interim executive chef of catering at Washington State University’s Dining Services, placed an order for 80 pounds of diced onions, 60 pounds of diced red and green peppers and 40 pounds of diced celery and carrots.

“Normally we would do all of the dicing ourselves, but that is just insane,” Siple said.

He said the recipe, which took three years to perfect, also calls for nearly 400 pounds of lentils and 31 pounds of Mexican chocolate.

Siple said the Mexican chocolate has a hint of cinnamon that pairs well with the other spices in the chili, and it is far from the sweet chocolate that is found in a Hershey’s bar.

All of the lentils are donated by Palouse Brand and are sourced locally within a 40-mile radius of Pullman, Siple said.

Siple said the chili is just about as local as it gets, and it is also vegan. He said the only allergen in the chili is soy, which comes from the chocolate.

Each year the chili is carefully transferred in batches from the kitchen on WSU’s campus down the street to a single giant pot that is parked at the festival, he said. The pot can hold up to 650 gallons of chili, but the chefs only make about half that amount.

Many would think cooking 325 gallons of chili would require an army, but in actuality, it is only a two-person job, Siple said.

“I grew up here in Pullman so I’ve been attending the Lentil Festival since it’s been around, so to get a peak behind the curtain and see what’s going on has been really cool,” Siple said.

At 6 a.m. Friday, two chefs started mixing the ingredients together and letting the chili soak and simmer in quantities of 25 gallons and 50 gallons, Siple said.

Aaron Clark, one of the chefs, said this is the third year he prepared the festival’s chili.

“I’ve learned if you make 320 gallons of chili, you will smell like chili for a week no matter how much you shower,” he said.

It is a price he willingly pays to serve the several thousand people who have come to expect their free bowl of chili every year.

Clark said over the past three years, he has also worked hard to simplify the recipe and reduce the amount of wasted food.

“They have it down to a science,” Siple said.

As each batch is finished, they are stored in containers until 3 p.m. when volunteer WSU students pour each of the batches of chili into the single pot at the festival — officially kicking off the annual celebration.

While people come from all of the country for Pullman’s lentil chili, there are always leftovers, Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson said.

The remaining chili is packaged and donated to the Community Action Center before being distributed to area food banks.