It's going to get 'chili' this weekend in Downtown DeLand

BEACON PHOTO/MARSHA MCLAUGHLIN
Chili chefs — Mike Coffin and Charlie Riley stir up their special batch of chili at the 2008 Great Bowls of Fire Chili Cook-Off.

Goodness, gracious, Great Bowls of Fire

By Jennifer Horton
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Oct 15, 2009 - 3:39:45pm

Without regard to the weather report, things will get a little “chili” in Downtown DeLand this weekend, as folks get ready for the eighth annual Great Bowls of Fire Chili Cook-Off.

The annual event is a fundraiser for the West Volusia Historical Society and the MainStreet DeLand Association. It’s part of a big day in Downtown DeLand, as the DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored DeLand Fall Run and Family Health Fair takes place beginning at 8 a.m.

And, this year, the weather report is promising temperatures cool enough to make a run and a bowl of hot chili both sound very good.

Read about the other Downtown DeLand events on Oct. 17.

Chili-Cook-Off Chairwoman Sally Bohon said folks should expect the unexpected at the 2009 Chili Cook-Off, which coincides with an influx of motorcycle riders.

“We are expecting the bikers this year,” Bohon said. “We’ve never had it during Bike-toberfest. It’s very exciting for us; we don’t know what to expect.”

More than 1,000 people attended last year’s Chili Cook-Off.

East Indiana Avenue, from Woodland Boulevard to Alabama Avenue, will be shut down and will become home to around 50 feisty pots of chili cooked by volunteer chefs, some of whom will be taking part in an intense competition, the Florida State Open Chili Championship. Others will be offering chili just for fun and fundraising.

Event attendees who pay the $10 admission get to sample all the chilis. Budweiser will have a beer garden set up.

“Budweiser has been such a wonderful sponsor,” Bohon said.

It’s not all just beer and chili; there will be live entertainment and activities for children.

Ben Prestage will perform live during the event. Prestage is the son of Mississippi sharecroppers, and has performed his blues stylings across the country, from California to the Florida Keys.

“He’s just wonderful,” Bohon said.

While the big folks taste chili, children can participate in events in the Chili and Beans Kids Zone.

“There’s a supervised kids’ zone,” Bohon said. “There will be all kinds of activities for the children.”

For the cooks, the heat is on, as Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) judges will be in town to find out who has the best chili in town.

Bohon explained CASI standards are stringent, and participants must meet a lot of requirements, including preparing the chili on-site, so judges can see the ingredients. CASI judging will take place at 2 p.m.

At 1 p.m., open judging will take place, offering prizes for the non-CASI cooks.

Open judging is for everyone. Chili can be made in advance, and it can be made by any recipe.

At the 2008 event, DeLand residents placed second and third in the CASI showmanship division and the open chili division, while a DeLeon Springs resident took home the Greatest Bowl of Chili award, as voted on by those attending.

Bohon noted the event benefits great organizations.

“Proceeds from the Chili Cook-Off directly benefit the MainStreet DeLand Association and the West Volusia Historical Society, which is home to the DeLand House Museum,” she said.

The eighth annual Great Bowls of Fire CASI Florida State Chili Championship Cook-Off will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17.

Admission costs $10 for adults, and $4 for children ages 4-12, and is free for children age 3 and younger.

For more information about the event, visit greatbowlsofchilicookoff.com.

— jen@beacononlinenews.com

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