St. Marys Legion to host second-annual Chili Cookoff

By Emily Stewart

The upcoming Chili Cookoff hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion – Perth Regiment Branch 236 will warm up St. Marys and area residents during a cold winter.

The Chili Cookoff will be held at the St. Marys Legion, 66 Church St. S, on Feb. 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Along with a variety of chilis to try made by local restaurants, service clubs and residents, the event will also feature some draws and a bar serving beer and soft drinks.

“Come on down, get out of the cold, get a nice warm bowl of chili and enjoy the fun,” said Legion member Colin Coburn.

There will be four prizes to be awarded by a judging panel for the winning chili by a restaurant, a service club like the Rotary Club and the Lions Club, an individual and recognizing the People’s Choice. The Legion will supply the spoons, napkins and sample cups, and participants are to bring two pots of chili plus their own chili toppings like cheese, onions and sour cream. Coburn was a participant in the successful first Chili Cookoff in 2025 and provided sriracha and tobacco hot sauce for guests to control their chili’s spiciness.

“There’s no rules on how mild it has to be or how spicy it has to be; that’s up to each individual participant,” he said. “Verbally, I’m telling them if you’re going to have very hot chilli, you should probably put a warning on it for the folks that don’t like spicy.”

Tickets are $5 for three tickets and $10 for eight. All proceeds will support the maintenance of the building and the bar staff, as well as Legion programming like free coffee and donuts for veterans. As part of the organization’s mandate, the Legion will donate 50 per cent of funds raised from events towards community initiatives like youth sports.

For more information about the Chili Cookoff, contact Coburn by emailing coburncolin296@gmail.com or calling 519-275-2324.