Chili chefs needed for cook-off

With the ninth-annual Fort Frances Times Great Chili Cook-off tentatively scheduled for Friday, Sept. 17, organizers are looking for a few good chefs.
This year’s organizer, Gabe Glueheisen, said yesterday she’s in the process of contacting chili teams that expressed interest last year in participating again.
“We’ve had confirmation from four, plus one for the Times, and I should know by the end of today [Thursday] who else will be participating,” she noted.
“But there will be room for new teams,” she stressed.
As in previous years, chefs from local businesses and organizations work in teams of two. Each team must have a name, and can dress up according to a theme if they want to.
Glueheisen noted the chili cook-off normally takes place on the last Friday of September or the first one in October, but due to limited availability of the tent which is set up in the Times parking lot every year, Sept. 17 was the best date.
But she added that date still is tentative as she’s checking to make sure it jibes with the chili chefs’ schedules.
“We’re all looking forward to it,” enthused Glueheisen, who’s heading up the event for the first time this year after it was organized for many years by Susan Martin (Martin still will be helping out, though).
Dr. Mike Gerstner and Sherry Armstrong of the Fort Frances Dental Centre took the top prize last year for their chili called “Novocaine Special III—the numb-iest ever.”
Last year’s People’s Choice award went to Ramiro Matias and Linda Trevisanutto, of Rainycrest Home for the Aged, for their “Chili of the Golden Oldies.”
Always a popular fall event, more than 300 people turned out last year to taste the various chilis, as well as help raise $1,200 that was divided between the local Salvation Army and United Native Friendship Centre food banks.
All proceeds will go to local food banks again this year.
This year also will see the return of the popular “cake roulette,” where people can take their chances on winning a delicious baked treat.
Anyone interested in entering the chili cook-off, or volunteering to bake something for the cake roulette, is asked to call Glueheisen at 274-5373 ext. 247.