Warm up this weekend with the coziest of all comfort foods — chili!
On Feb. 1 from 12 to 4 p.m. The Greenport Harbor Brewing Company is hosting a chili cook-off at the Peconic brewhouse. For just $25, attendees can sample and vote on their favorite renditions of the wintery dish.
This year, Biggie’s, Ellen’s on Front, Little Fish, Lucharitos, Silver Sands, The Shoals and Whiskey Wind Tavern are just some of the participating eateries up against first responders from a few fire departments including Southold, East Marion and Greenport.
“It’s a fun competition among them all,” says Rich Vandenburgh, co-founder of the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company. “We have a trophy that we put the names on. It’s a mini keg trophy and it resides in the brewery.”
All samplers will receive a token to cast a vote for the first-place chili and an esteemed slew of judges will blind taste to determine second and third place.
This year’s judges panel includes Love Lane Kitchen owner Carolyn Iannone; Grace & Grit co-owner and executive chef Adam Kaufer; executive producer of the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil Rich Rosenthal; television and podcast host and food and style writer for the North Fork Sun Jaymee Sire; and private chef, travel advisor and former chef and owner of Wednesday’s Table Lihn Trieu.
In the past, the batches of chili have been made with veggies, lamb, beef, chicken and seafood components.
In true brewery fashion, there will be an event-only beer release — The Hot Sauce, a chili and lime-forward hazy IPA.
The idea for the event was to create something exciting for when sports seasons lulled and it was too cold to do anything else.
“There’s that week between the last playoff [football] game and the Super Bowl where there’s nothing going on,” says Vandenburgh. “So, Justin [Wesnofske, sales manager at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company] came up with the idea to do something to animate the winter months. It’s kind of cold and dreary — so, let’s do a chili festival.”
Now, in its eighth year, the event boasts about seven gallons of chili, with tickets sales closing at 400 people.
To buy tickets or see weather related updates, click here.
