VIRGINIA — The Iron Range Rotary held their 5th annual Chili Cook-Off event this Thursday. Rivalries battled hard as the Virginia Police Department and the Virginia Fire Department tried to out cook one another. There are three different entry categories for contestants. You can enter as an individual, as a club or organization, or as a professional.
There are two types of winners that you can vote for in this competition as a tasting attendee. The first is the chili that you liked the best in regards to flavor, the taster’s choice. The second is for the overall style and decor of their booth’s theme.
First time attendee, Keana Helget, was excited to experience the tastings and showed off her messy judging sheet that she kept safe beneath her cups of chili inside her tasting tray, “I think this is a really fun, cool event so far I’m voting for number six. He had cornbread and a homemade spicy honey that was really good.”
Sherdell Burton, of the Sawmill Saloon, has been cooking for 10 years and has participated in the Chili Cook-Off for three years now. The team’s previous awards were proudly set out for display winning two categories in 2022. What’s the secret to a good recipe?
“The special ingredients is always care,” Burton said. “I care about the products, I care about the people. I won the last two years…My chances of winning are probably pretty good.”
Stephanie Maki entered the competition for the first time this year as an individual. “I just signed up for this contest. I just wanted to see how it would go, and use it as advertising for my business.”
She started making spice mixes with a cottage license a few years ago and named her business Shining Salt Seasonings. Her goal was to have all gluten and MSG free seasoning options. Maki is in the process of obtaining her commercial kitchen licensing to be able to start selling her products online soon. She has a special chili spice blend as one of her signature spices, and used it in her competition’s entry this year.
This is the fifth year that the Iron Range Rotary has hosted the Chili Cook-Off, but this event has actually been around for 14 years. The competition was started by Saint Michael’s Foundation and was passed to the Rotary after the care facility was purchased by a for-profit business.
Ashley Samargia, the “Chili Chair” and also dubbed the “Chili Queen” by other rotary members is the event coordinator for the Cook-Off. Samargia shared how It started off as just a committee, but as the event has grown, more and more of the Rotary members wanted to get involved, to the point that some of their main meetings discuss the happenings.
“We start preparing in at least March, April, May-ish.” There are now subcommittees that handle different parts of the event, and it takes over six months to prepare.
The Chili Cook-Off is one of the major fundraising events the Iron Range Rotary hosts annually in order to support other causes within the community such as the United Way’s Imagination Library Program and allows them to host their annual Gary Carlson Memorial Kids Fishing and Casting Contest every June, where they provide over $6,000 in prizes to participating children.
You can find out more about Iron Range Rotary by visiting their Facebook page.
Photos below (by Rebekkah Anderson): Ashley Samargia (Left) and Craig Doughty (Right); Stephanie Maki with her two boys, Brandon Maki (Left) and Joe Maki (Right); (L) Dave Hamalainen, (M) Gary Wenz, (R) Rick Klander of the United in Christ Lutheran Church of Eveleth.
