Big crowd at chili cook-off judges Alex Woodruff, 16, to have the best chili for the second year in a row

By Kristi Fitzgerald
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Hawaiian chili of 16-year-old Alex Woodruff beat out 19 other recipes to win Midway Christian Church Chili Cook-Off for the second year in a row Monday night.

Winners Glass (second), Woodruff (first) and Burchell (third)

The excitement could be seen in Samantha Dare’s face as she took photos of her smiling daughter, Woodruff, holding up her prize, a $25 Cheesecake Factory gift card. Woodruff said she acquired her winning chili recipe from her grandfather. The Hawaiian chili veered off the path of a typical, chili recipe with the addition of ingredients such as pineapple and carrots.

The second- and third-place winners, respectively, were Amanda Glass’s pulled-pork chili and a "bourbon breakfast" chili by Phil Burchell, who usually does well in the contest.

Chili testers lined up at crockpots. (Photo by Kristi Fitzgerald)

The cook-off drew a good crowd on a night when rain threatened and began during the event. The church’s Fellowship Hall was filled with people of all ages. Stephanie Dare, Woodruff’s aunt, said she enjoys the “sense of community” that accompanies the cook-off.

Chili testers shuffled along a table lined with crockpots, filling cups and casting their votes for the chili each of them enjoyed most. Some of the entries included vegetarian, several versions of turkey chili and chili with spaghetti, a no-no for chili purists but still tasty.

Teresa Raglin sat at one of the five large community tables with her children, tasting the various chilis, “I enjoy the friendly competition. People look forward to it.”

The cook-off is part of the series of free community dinners the church holds on the last Monday night of each month at 6:30.


One chili tester sampled about a dozen entries and reported that blending the three winners with an overly thick chili produced a very tasty hybrid. (Photo by Kristi Fitzgerald)