About 300 people downed nearly 80 gallons of chili last Saturday, searching for the best in the West Shore.
Nine awards were divvied among the 11 teams that took part in the Ninth Annual Chili Cookoff organized by the Rotary Club of the West Shore and held at for the first time Millstream Village.
“It started out because there wasn’t a great summer family event and we had been looking for a fundraiser for our club,” said past president Jenn Raappana. “The club celebrates 10 years this year, it was one of the first fundraisers we started and it's definitely been very good for us.”
In the past money has gone to the Goldstream Food Bank, Moms and Mentors (at Belmont secondary) and other community projects.
“We try and keep the money local. Our big program we do is called BEAR, Be Excited About Reading, in School District 62,” she said. “Literacy is a focus for Rotary.”
While the kids are the real winners, chili champions were Eye Etiquette who took top position in both the Showmanship and People’s Choice awards. Salvation Army WestSong Community Church topped the podium for Best Judged Chili.
“We don’t know yet what we raised but we usually raise $4,000 to $5,000 mostly from sponsorship and the public coming out and supporting us and trying the chili,” Raappana said.
They coincided the event with back to school sales at Millstream Village businesses and hope to return there for the 10th annual next year.
“We outgrew Veterans (Memorial) Park which is a great problem to have,” Raappana said. “It went really well, all the stores and businesses were hospitable.”
Full list of winners:
Showmanship
1 Eye Etiquette
2 Salvation Army Westsong Community Church
3 Milestones Restaurant
Best Chili
1 Salvation Army Westsong Community Church
2 Investors Group
3 The Market on Millstream
Peoples’ Choice
1 Eye Etiquette
2 West Village Church
3 The Market on Millstream