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The annual event is held at the Knights of Columbus
Pavilion the final weekend of the Logan County Fair.
The 2024 chili cook-off was a bittersweet one since
Doug Ritterbush passed away last year not long after stepping down
from the chair position and handing it over to Dirk Conrady.
This year, the Doug Demay Chili Cook-Off was renamed
Double D’s Memorial Chili Cook-Off in memory of both Doug Demay and
Doug Ritterbush.
As usual, competitors included several veterans along with a couple
new ones. Some chilis were spicy, some were sweet, some were meaty
and some were all of the above.
It was a fun place to be as competitors from around
the county gave everyone an opportunity to sample their chili.
One team was made up and Christy Cross and
Ritterbush’s family members with a table decorated to honor his
memory. Their sweet and spicy chili was fitting since describes Doug
Ritterbush’s personality.
Cook-off veterans Jim and Sandy Bobell have competed
many times placing in the top three more than once. They said their
chili was just a basic chili.
Newcomer Jerry Turner along with Tiffany Justice
cooked up a meaty chili with a thick texture and a hint of spice.
Frank Adubato, with help from his daughters Bianca,
Ysabella and Francesca, made a meaty chili with a bit of a kick to
it.
Long time competitor Dave Eyrse made what he called
his usual chili with three different types of meat plus cayenne
pepper and bell pepper.
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Veteran competitor Lisa Conrady and her daughter
Shyanne made a sweet chili. Since a couple of people decorated their
table with different beer brands, Lisa called it a battle of beers
too.
Tom Cecil, who has won the competition before, said
his daughter Courtney Cecil helped put in a lot of work in making
their meaty and spicy chili.
Second year competitor Jayden Gulley said his chili
had a bit of a kick to it.
Among those trying the chili was the new fair
royalty, who sampled a bit of each one. Those who sample chilis seem
to enjoy various flavor combinations.
After the judges sampled all the chilis, decided on which table had
the best presentation and tallied the results, the winners were
announced.
2024 chili cook-off winners included:
Christy Cross and her team, who won both the people’s
choice award and best presentation.
The People’s Choice is determined by the number of
dollars inserted in the vote cups at each competitor table. There is
then a team who collects all the cups, counts the individual “votes”
for each table and determines the People’s Choice.
Third place was awarded to Jerry Turner followed by
Christy Cross [and the Ritterbush memorial team] in second place.
First place went to Jim and Sandy Bobell, who won the
cookoff in 2015 and 2022 and have placed in the top three more than
once.
The top three winners receive plaques and cash prizes while the top
team will have their name on a plaque placed in the fair office.
[Angela Reiners] |
