March 8, 2007 – The sixth annual United Way of St. Croix Chili Cook-Off is set to sizzle March 25 at the Divi Carina Bay Beach Resort.
"It's for a good cause to support our member agencies," United Way President Ana "Anita" Davila said recently.
The cooks start cooking at 6 a.m., but the public is welcome from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Davila said that the chili will go on sale at noon after the judging is complete.
The event also features music and family games.
Admission is free, but the chili sale raises money for United Way. The entry fee runs $25 per cook.
Winners go home with a variety of prizes donated by local businesses. "We have a lot of goodies," Davila said.
Last year, Chad Cameron's team from St. Croix took top honors. Second place went to Debbie Smith's team from St. Croix, with Georgeann McNicholas' team going home to St. Thomas with third.
Davila said there are both meat and vegetarian categories.
She said 22 teams of about four or five cooks each participated last year.
She said about 600 people attended in 2006, helping to raise $14,000 for United Way.
For teams that don't have their own tent, United Way rents tents and tables. The tables cost $10 each with a limit of two per team. The 10-foot-square tents run $75 each. Tent supply is limited, so sign up early.
Davila said that while some cooks prefer to bring their own beef, others use the 10 pounds of beef per team donated by Certified Angus Beef Brand.
She said other sponsors include Coors Light, JKC Communications, the V.I. Tourism Department, the West Indian Co., Caribbean Auto Mart, Executive Insurance, Wyatt Co., Turner St. Croix, and Plaza Extra.
Registration runs through the day of the event.
The Divi has special room rates for those attending the cook-off. Call the reservations department at 773-9700 to book.
For more information, call Davila at 773-0582.
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