10th annual Really Chili Challenge slated for Oct. 22
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on October 1, 2016 10:09 PM
Local cooks are getting their secret recipes for the most mouthwatering chili ready for the 10th annual Really Chili Challenge.
The event is the yearly fundraiser for the Community Soup Kitchen. It will be held Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Goldsboro where the Center Street Jam takes place.
It began when the Soup Kitchen's board was trying to find creative ways to raise money for the group, said director Doricia Benton.
"We did shrimp and grits one year, but decided to make it a chili challenge," she said. "We also had a 5K, but that faded away and we dedicated it straight to chili. People like their chili."
Mrs. Benton said the chili challenge has been successful for the past nine years.
"It's our only fundraiser," she said. "When you're serving six meal a day 52 weeks a year, that's 315 days. It takes a lot to make each day happen."
To enter a team into the chili challenge, go online to get a form, stop by the Soup Kitchen or email to doriciab@yahoo.com. The fee is $75 per team.
Each team gets a section in the parking lot with tables. The teams need to take their own tents. And there is no electricity.
"Nothing can be premade," Mrs. Benton said. "You can brown your meat before you get there, though. But everything else must be done there."
Teams can set up as early as 7:30 a.m. that day.
There are no restrictions on what can be in the chili. Teams are asked to make six gallons for the public tasting.
The Soup Kitchen provides cups, spoons, napkins and crackers for each team to serve its chili in.
"In past years, some chili has been hot, some has been mild," Mrs. Benton said. "For a lot of them, it's their own special recipe. A lot of times, they bring different things with them to add to the chili that the people taste, like green onions, shredded cheese, sour cream."
Mrs. Benton said the teams are very creative at decorating their tents. In past years, one team used headstones with the team name on them. Another had an astronaut them. And another used a knights theme.
In addition to chili teams, sponsorships are also available. It gets your team into the challenge, a banner and advertisement.
Once the chili is judged by leaders in the local community, the event is opened to the public to taste the various creations. Tickets are $5 at the Soup Kitchen and at the door, with children 5 and younger free.
Mrs. Benton said about 1,000 people come out every year just to sample the chili.
There will also be musical entertainment by Downtown Chameleons and Up Next Entertainment as DJ. And there will be facepainting. Budweiser will have it's beer wagon on hand.
RA Jeffreys has had a team in the chili challenge every year since it began.
In 2011, the team won with its Chernobyl theme.
"It was basic chili, but we had a waiver people could sign if they wanted this really hot sauce put in their chili," said team captain Styles Horvath. "That's why we called it Chernobyl.
"Another year we had a blazing saddles tent with a western theme and a fiberglass Clydesdale. Another year it was an NFL theme. Last year was one of our best displays. We did a 12 by 12 foot bamboo hut. It was very creative. We did ragin' Cajun chili with crawfish in our chili. But that recipe is a secret."
The team's this year is Farm 2 Table because all of the vegetables used in the chili will come from team members' gardens.
"We do out and raise money and have a good time," Horvath said. "We help the Soup Kitchen raise funds. We swap stories, have a great time and do some good for the community."
This will be Cornerstone Church's third year of participating in the Really Chili Challenge.
"One year we had chili peppers hanging all over our tent and our team was the Holy Spice of Chili," said pastor Ryan Rasmussen. "This year we opened it up to the whole church and had a potluck with just chili. Judges from our congregation chose the chili that will represent our church this year and it was the recipe of Jim and Michelle Walker."
Rasmussen said the chili challenge is a lot of fun.
"And it's a way to support an important ministry in Goldsboro," he said. "We want to serve our community and this is a way to do that."
Mrs. Benton said those coming out to taste the chili are doing so for a good cause.
"We are working on our 36th year here at the Soup Kitchen," she said. "We are taking care of individuals less fortunate, in an insecure mode as far as a job or food.
"And the chili challenge is just a lot of fun. You can socialize, listen to the music and dance a little bit."
The Soup Kitchen serves an average of 150 people a day. Since it began Dec. 15, 1980, to the end of August 2016, it had served a total of 974,193 meals.