Ask a green or red chili cook how they make a savory stew with New Mexico chiles, and you'll get as many answers as there are cooks. But who has the best-tasting chili? Find out during the Farmington Chamber's annual Chile-Fest Chili Contest. Sponsored by Farmington Play Day Trampoline Park and Ace Hardware of Farmington
Green chili or red? Whichever hot concoction you like best will be available for the tasting at the Farmington Chamber of Commerce Chili Contest and Chili Fest. Are your taste buds up to the challenge? You're watching the Local News Network, brought to you by Farmington Play Day Trampoline Park and ACE Hardware. I'm Wendy Graham Settle. Chili cooks will compete for top bragging rights on Saturday, October 2nd, during the Farmington Chamber of Commerce Chili Contest and Chili Fest at Berg Park. The annual festival is one of the Chamber's larger fundraisers of the year, but it's also an opportunity to celebrate fall in the Four Corners.
This time between September and the end of October, that is the golden time for events here. The weather's perfect, the trees start to turn, the temperature has come down and it's just a beautiful time of year to do events.
Entry is free for contestants who start cooking at 7:00 AM at Berg Park. The gates open at 11:00 AM for tasters. Tickets are $15 for five tasting cups. Church recommends that cooks stir up at least seven gallons of chili for the tasters because she expects anywhere from 800 to a thousand chili fans at the event.
Since things have started opening up, all of the live events that are happening have been very well-attended. People are ready to get out, they're ready to, they know that they couldn't do these events in 2020, and they're really ready to come to these favorites. I know recently Mac and Cheese Fest happened. They had a huge crowd. We expect the same with Chili in October, so we are, we're telling our cooks, "You don't want to run out an hour in because the more times people taste your chili, the more opportunity you have for those people's choice votes."
The festival will include a variety of vending booths and a wine and beer garden, featuring selections from the Waterhouse, Triggers, and Three Rivers Brewery. Winners of the people's choice and judges' choice award will receive a $300 cash prize. Church says tasters can expect some pretty hot competition.
So we just want it to be a fun competition, and, but we have some cooks who are pretty serious about it.
Registration deadline for cooks is Friday, January 24th. Cooks must obtain a temporary food handler certificate from the health department. If you have additional questions, visit gofarmington.com or contact Church directly at jamie@gofarmington.com. Thanks for watching this edition of the Local News Network. I'm Wendy Graham Settle.
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