HEAT & SOUL CHILI MAKERS CREATIONS MAY BE OFFERED AT NEW SITES.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

ENCINO - Like the recipes he meticulously simmers for days, Randy Hoffman knew it would take time to build his Chili My Soul restaurant to perfection.

It's taken him 14 years to get there, slowly adding new ingredients, proceeding at a conservative pace that has allowed him to prepare a plan to push the hole-in-the-wall eatery into what could soon be a national player. Even as a tiny counter slinging chili and fries on Balboa Boulevard, the operation won national acclaim for its caliente concoctions, but Hoffman always dreamed of taking it far beyond its humble beginnings. Currently, he's in talks to expand to Sherman Oaks and plans to add five local locations within a year, stretching from Agoura to Pasadena.

``We're maxed out here,'' he said, pointing to vast vats of chili simmering over huge ranges. ``It's like a submarine in the kitchen, we're so packed.''

His expansion plan's a complex one, one that will split the chain into three retail arms offering walk-up service, informal sit-down like his current site and a gourmet affair offering premium chilis and fine wines. But that's fitting, given the complexities of his products and personality.

Reared in the corporate culture of Milani Foods, run by his father and four uncles, he learned first how to mass produce food before launching his own business where he personally supervises each recipe. Though he's made a name for himself as an expert in all-American comfort food, his favorite flavors are Asian spices. And when he's not eating chili cooked for three days, he favors fresh sushi, not cooked at all.

It was his upbringing at Milani that first hooked him on the food business, where he ran marketing operations and fooled around in the kitchen in his down hours.

``As a kid, I used to hang out in the lab with all the Ph.D. food scientists,'' he recalled. ``You learn all kinds of things a Cordon Bleu chef never knows.''

Though the world of artificial flavors and preservatives had its appeal, he felt more comfortable in his own kitchen, where he slowly honed his chili recipes for years. At the urging of friends, he opened a wholesale operation in 1988, selling it to local restaurants on the condition they'd identify it by name on their menus. Following warm response from diners, he launched the Chili My Soul restaurant in 1998, pushing an ever-expanding slew of gourmet chilis to a hungry public.

``Everyone thinks they have the ultimate recipe, but he really does,'' said Andy Harris, producer of ``The Restaurant Show'' for KABC-AM (790).

Thirty-two recipes, to be exact. And forget the old beans-no beans debate - whether Texas straight or California veggie-heavy, Hoffman's creations stretch the imagination of traditional chili ingredients. Espresso beans. Mangos. Curry. Barley. Chocolate. Even Irish whiskey gets a turn in his pots, each offering a unique flavor and an accompanying number indicating heat. Even the milder ones, low on his scale of 10, pack a punch, and the Demon - a 10-plus - can bring tears to the eyes of even the most seasoned pepperphile.

``I don't care so much about the flavor, I look at the number,'' said Renz Kuipers, a Sherman Oaks banker who braved 100-degree weather to munch on the fiery fare. ``I had a chance to sample the Demon once and my mouth still needs to cool off.''

Though he has reservations about expanding into a chain - he wants to keep his own hands in the kitchen - Hoffman is optimistic. Armed with international exposure thanks to TV interviews and a loyal customer base that's trekked from as far as Arizona specifically for his restaurant, he thinks he can handle the larger format, including the upscale venture.

``We'll have people ordering bottles of Dom Perignon with a bowl of Demon,'' he said, chuckling.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Owner Randy Hoffman shows off one of the chili creations served at Chili My Soul in Encino. He is planning to expand the restaurant to Sherman Oaks and other locations.

(2 -- color) Hector Rios serves up a variety of the different chilis offered at Chili My Soul. Exotic ingredients flavor the concoctions.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer