CORNWALL, Ontario – About 20 different chili creations, a record number of submissions, sizzled inside of Lola’s Pub & Grub on Saturday, March 30, inviting keen participants out of the damp weather.
For a donation of $5 to Beyond 21, community members could taste test each chili and vote on their favourite during the 4th annual Chili Cook-off.
“It’s Lola’s Chili Cook-Off and (Sharon Farley) does it every year in support of Beyond 21, which is absolutely wonderful,” said Jane McLaren, Beyond 21 Program Manager. “People from the public bring in their chili and we have a record number of chilis this year. We had to add a side table we have so many chilis.”
A packed house was expected during the event and members of the public and a judging panel enjoy and contemplate their favourite dish. Dynamic Closure donated cash prizes to winners of the event, and members of downtown donated door prizes to a draw for anyone who attended.
“One hundred per cent of proceeds from the event go to Beyond 21 because everything is donated,” said McLaren. “It is so wonderful for us because we don’t have government funding. It is so wonderful when people like (Sharon Farley) approach us to support our organization.”
McLaren said that every year, regulars return in hopes that their dish will take first place.
“It is so competitive, it is absolutely crazy. We have regulars every year who are determined to win this competition. We have people who spend, maybe a year, at least weeks tweaking their chili recipe,” said McLaren.
“It is just a great afternoon, time for the community to come together…and it’s a perfect day for it. It’s cold our there…and warm and fuzzy in here,” she added.
