Macedonian immigrants Tom and John Kiradjieff created Cincinnati chili in 1922 when they opened a hot dog stand next to The Empress Theater. Eventually, the hot dog stand evolved into Empress Chili. The restaurant did poorly until Tom began offering chili laced with Middle Eastern spices and served in a variety of ways. Called "spaghetti chili," Kiradjieff's "five-way" was a mound of spaghetti topped with chili, chopped onion, kidney beans and shredded yellow cheese, served with oyster crackers and a side order of hot dogs topped with more shredded cheese. The idea caught on and their restaurant, Empress, grew into a downtown chili emporium. Though the original downtown location closed long ago, you can still get the tasty, spicy stew at three out-lying parlors. A large, 5-Way order costs $6.55.