By Tyler Marr

Chili Cook-Off serves up funds for Children’s Haven

Mar 25, 2018 | 12:57 PM

Red lips and full stomachs filled Plaza 88 Saturday, as chili bowls overflowed with homemade goodness fit for a variety of taste buds.

It was all part of Power99 FM’s 30th annual Chili Cook-Off fundraiser. The four-hour event cooked up over $19,000 for Children’s Haven, a crisis centre for kids up to 12 years old. Three first-time judges teased their palates with 12 team offerings. Fire chief Jason Everitt is no stranger to heat and was eagerly taking on the wide range of dishes.

“It is all over the map. Very mild to ones with a bit more heat to them,” he said. “One had some chocolate, which was an interesting combination. It has been a taste sensation.”

It was also Inspector Jason Stonechild’s first crack at the culinary challenge. Both he and Everitt said it was heartwarming to see the city turn out for a good cause.

“When you go to these events, I am in a position in the city where I go to quite a few, and it is great to see people always coming out because they care,” Stonechild said.

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Inspector Jon Bergen said all the chilis he dipped his spoon into were amazing.

“The presentations and some bribes that come with some of the bowls of chili, it is awesome to see,” he said.

At the end of it all, the Royal Purple Elk’s come out on top in a landslide. The team came up short last year but said they pitched the same recipe.

“We are very honoured,”  Peggy Kugler, who has been with the Elk’s for 35 years said. “We could tell [something was right] by the people coming back two or three times and getting their bowls filled up. We were the first to run out.”

When asked for their secret ingredient, the chefs were mum on details, saying only it consisted of “all earthy produce that is homegrown and it’s always the same.”

Angie Nelson and Cora Wilson rounded out the team, who were equally exuberant to have helped out a great organization.

“The Children’s Haven do a lot for the community and we know that they need to have a lot of funds to keep the place going,” Wilson said. “We like to help them out.”

Amanda Robertson is the program director with Children’s Haven and said the organization relies heavily on the event to keep their doors open.

“All of the money we raise goes to operational costs, no wages, everything goes directly to the kids,” she said, noting bread, milk and laundry soap as top items on the list of needs.

“For example, per week we do about 70 loads of laundry, go through about 26 loaves of bread and 20 jugs of milk,” she said. “This is really critical. No one knows when they are going to fall into a crisis so we really like to support the community as much as we can.”

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow