On Saturday, March 9, more than 5,000 chili enthusiasts from across the state and across the country flooded downtown Middlebury for the fifth annual Vermont Chili Festival.
The Chili Festival, which has been ranked as one of Vermont’s top 10 winter events by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce every year since it started, is the largest festival hosted in the town of Middlebury.
On the morning of the March 9, the town closed off Main Street for the festival. The day’s festivities included live music by Vermont band the Grift, a performance by the College’s own Riddim dance troupe, face-painting, a beverage tent, street performers, a Zumba flash mob and many other exciting activities and performances.
The star of the show, however, was the chili.
The day is structured around a massive chili contest — the winner of which is determined by popular vote.
Upon paying the $5 admission fee, visitors of the chili festival received a chili badge, a spoon and three voting tokens to be given to the visitors’ favorite chili makers.
This year, there were more than 50 entries. These 50 participants included both professional and amateur chili chefs from across the state. The wide spread included a number of local restaurants, social organizations, and a joint entry from the College’s Dining Services and the Solar Decathlon Team.
The choice was nothing if not difficult for visitors. The festival featured different types of chili from all across the state.
Festival-goers were impressed with the wide variety of options available, which included beef chilis, chicken chilis, fish chilis, moose chilis, veggie chilis, seafood chilis and other exotic chili options.
Furthermore, in an attempt to improve the dining experience and woo potential voters, many chili purveyors provide a little something extra. As if the staggering amount of delicious ingredients in the chili wasn’t enough, many vendors provide small pieces of cornbread or chips. Some kiosks featured self-service condiment bars, and others offered eclectic accompaniments like jelly beans or cider.
Competitors vied for a grand prize of $1,000, a second-place prize of $750 and a third-place prize of $500. In addition, winners of six chili categories also received $100 each. These categories were beef, chicken, pork, game, veggie and kitchen sink — a combination of many different ingredients. For a list of all the winners, see below.
Some of the proceeds from the event went to Addison County HOPE and the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO).
THE WINNERS
Overall:
1st Place — Indulge Salon
2nd Place — Black Sheep Bistro
3rd Place — Tourterelle
Beef:
1st Place — Jessica's
2nd Place — The Pour House
3rd Place — Greg's Meat Market
Chicken:
1st Place — Indulge Salon
2nd Place — Tourterelle/Misty Knoll
3rd Place — St Stephen’s
Pork:
1st Place — Black Sheep
2nd Place — Bluebird Tavern/Whistle Pig
3rd Place — The Lakehouse
Game:
1st Place — Fish Tail Tavern
2nd Place — Middlebury Fire Department
3rd Place — Sweet Marie's
Kitchen Sink:
1st Place — Cyclewise
2nd Place — Liberty Mutual
3rd Place — Otter Creek Brewery
Veggie:
1st Place — Middlebury College Solar Decathlon Team
2nd Place — Addison Central Teens
3rd Place — American Flatbread
