Chili Cookoff in Temecula has $500 Prize

Old Town Temecula encourages all chili cooks to spice it up at Temecula's Western Days Chili Cookoff Sunday, May 20.    While chili cooks are firing up chili,  zany cowboys conduct hourly old west shows and a High Noon Bank Robbery in town.

            The chili cookoff is both an International Chili Society regional cookoff and a people’s choice event.  The Red Chili fee has recently been reduced to $25 due to the high cost of gas. There are three ICS Categories, Red Chili, Chili Verde and Salsa. People’s Choice is for Red Chili and Chili Verde. Cooking and the cooks meeting begins at 9:30 a.m.  Sunday.  People’s Choice Chili is available for tasting beginning at 11 a.m. at Town Square at Main and Mercedes Streets and continues until chili is gone.

            A separate best People's Choice Restaurant Category seeks the best  Chili Chef in the Temecula Valley restaurants.  Restaurants will receive table, chairs, power and canopy.

            Prizes for Red ICS Chili are 1st, $500, 2nd,  $300, 3rd, $100; Chili Verde 1st is $200, 2nd, $100 and 3rd, $50.  People's Choice receives $75 for first and a plaque, 2nd, $50 and 3rd, $25. The chief judge is Bob Dyer of Canyon Lake.

            Awards are at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Applications are available online at www.temeculacalifornia.com or call (951) 678-1456.