Fenn Valley Vineyards Presents 13Th Annual Chili Cookoff

Date: Saturday, January 21, 2012
Start Time: 1:00 pm

Location: Fenn Valley Vineyards

Category: West Michigan Coastal Surrounding Areas

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Annual Chili Cook-off and Wine Lover's Potluck


The categories will be the same as they were last year:

Four Legs (beef and pork)
Two Legs (Fowl)
Vegetarian (non-meat)
Exotic (Seafood or wild game, including venison).
Our judges, who will again be coming from the Secchia Center for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College, are getting excited about trying YOUR entry.

Registration for the chili contestants will begin on December 1. ALL competing chilies must be pre-registered. On the day of the event, we require all competing chilies to be at the winery between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Judging starts at 2:00 sharp and will be concluded by 3:00 PM.

Our “winelover’s potluck” begins at 2:00 PM. Non-participants may bring an appetizer to share or a chili. In fact, in an effort to provide enough chili for all visitors, anyone who brings a chili (whether it is to be judged or not) will receive free admission for up to two people per 4-quart pot of chili. The entry fee for all others will be $2.00 pp.

Longtime musical friends of Fenn Valley, The Trace, will be entertaining all of us during the afternoon. They play classic "popular" music and you may have heard their music at previous winery events, such as Wine Fest or our Summer Evening Cook-Outs.

In addition to music, chili, and a potluck, we will be pouring wine by the glass. We will be featuring some of the new wines from the past vintage and encourage all of you to enjoy a glass of wine with your chili.
The schedule of activities for the day follows:

1:00-2:00- Registration of chilies
3:00- Winner announced
2:00-4:30- Wine Lover’s Potluck
2:00-4:30- The Trace plays


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Chili Cook Off Rules:


All chilies MUST pre-register. Call (269) 561-2396. Registrations accepted Dec 1.
Categorization of chili is determined as follows:

Beef or pork will be placed in the “Four legged” category.

Chicken, turkey, or duck will be placed in the “Two legged” category.

Seafood or wild game (includes venison) will be placed in the “Exotic” category.

Vegetarian chili contains NO meat.
There are no cooking facilities available, so entries must be received in a ready-to-judge form. (We recommend a crock pot).
All chilies must arrive between 1-2 pm in a crock pot as warm as possible. Any chili arriving after 2 pm will not be judged and will be added to the pot luck.
One entry per person.
There are a maximum of 30 entries per category.
There will be a prep area for last minute additions to the chili if necessary. Once we check-in the chili, you will have no further contact with the bulk container of chili.
There will be 3 judges per category. Each judge will use a 14-point scale and all chilies are judged blind. Criteria that will be evaluated include: Color, Aroma, Texture, Heat/Spice, Flavor, and Overall enjoyment.
A three-member panel will evaluate each category, and the highest scoring chili from each category will be re-evaluated by all nine judges for the position of grand champion.
Any ingredient you feel will enhance the flavor of the chili is allowed. Beans, macaroni, rice and other similar ingredients are encouraged.

Location Details

Fenn Valley Vineyards
6130 122ND AVE
FENNVILLE MI 49408