A Chili Cookoff is a great winter (or fall) activity for friends!
Everyone is in charge of bringing the food, it’s different than just any other dinner, and an element of competition is always fun! I love Chili Cookoffs, not JUST because I have the best chili recipe, but it’s a great activity and hang out opportunity for groups of friends. In January I planned a chili cookoff for a small group at my church and here is everything you need to know to plan your own!
A chili champion was crowned at the end of the evening. Another prize went to the “Most Creative” chili. Everyone left full and happy at the end of the evening.
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I ended up having 8 different chilis and 16 people. That was a LOT of chili.
I’d recommend having someone bring a salad or someone else be in charge of corn bread to spread the love. You don’t need EVERYONE to bring chili, but it was super fun and a ton of variety. I bought some tupperware containers so friends could bring home other people’s chilis to have the next day. You can get awesome soup containers on amazon here.
What I Was In Charge Of:
I hosted, I brought in a folding table and chairs to make more places to sit. I highly recommend using throw away dishes and silverware – I went biodegradable so I didn’t feel as guilty. Links to the tasting cups here, plates (for salad and cornbread) here, silverware here and bowl (if they wanted a full bowl of chili) here. The tasting cups were SUPER fun because everyone labeled the cups with which chili was what and ate 4 at a time. Plus, how often do you get to eat out of little cups?!
I also did Caesar salad, bought pre-made cornbread from Sams Club. Easy easy peasy. I had some placecards in my craft box and had everyone name their chili and I numbered them all to make voting easier.
I also made awards for the chili cookoff that everyone voted on! I got 2 ladles at Walmart, you can also go CUTE and get the loch ness monster ladles here. Wrap them in ribbon and had a tag that said “Chili Champion” and “Most Creative” that I tied on. Both ladles were stuck in a vase and that was that! I had an idea to spray paint a wooden spoon gold, but then they can’t use it! I’m all for no junk, and the Pioneer Woman ladles at Walmart are cute and sturdy.
What Guests Brought:
I had guests bring a chili in a crock pot OR dessert. Some brought both. They also brought wine, a good way to stock your bar is to invite people over! Everyone had a great attitude and the element of competition kept it fun. No one would tell others which chili they brought to keep it unbiased until voting was over.
A Simple Chili Cookoff Was The Perfect Gathering!
We had such a fun time chatting and catching up after the holiday craziness. An element of competition is always fun and the group had a great time.
Of course I didn’t get ANY photos or footage of the event all set up. I was too into hosting and having fun. *shrug*
If you’re a guest attending a chili cookoff, don’t forget to bring a hostess gift! Or bottle of wine to leave 😉 See all about hostess gifts here.
