Chilis sell out at second-annual Legion Chili Cookoff

The crowd at the second annual Chili Cookoff at the St. Marys Legion was certainly hungry for chili on Feb. 7 with pots of chili dwindling over the course of the afternoon.

By Alex Hunt

Though there was certainly plenty of chili to eat, organizers of the second annual Legion Chili Cookoff over the weekend said turnout for the event was better than expected, leading to chili shortages as the day went on.

St. Marys Legion Branch 236 hosted its second annual Chilli Cookoff Feb. 7. A total of 20 vendors including local restaurants and businesses, service clubs and individuals turned out, each with two pots of their best chili to compete across four categories.

“We’ve had a great crowd,” said Colin Coburn, legion executive member and Chilli Cookoff organizer. “Our goal is to get the Legion more involved in the community. We’re one of the service clubs and we donate a lot of money to kids’ sports in town. The more money we raise, the more we can put back into the community.”

After the votes were tallied, the results were as follows:

- Best Restaurant Chili: Joe’s Diner

- Best Service Club Chili: The Rotary Club of St. Marys

- Best Independent Chili: Dorothy Taylor

- People’s Choice Chili: Dorothy Taylor

Competitors at the second-annual Chili Cookoff in the restaurant category included: Chris Campbell Catering, Gilly’s Pubhouse, Joe’s Diner, Sunset Diner, the Creamery and Perthstone Kitchen.

St. Marys service clubs were also represented at this weekend’s event, including the St. Marys Lions Club, the Kinsmen Club of St. Marys, the St. James-Tecumseh Masonic Lodge No. 73, the Rotary Club of St. Marys, and the St. Marys Public Library.