Friday, July 11 - Sunday, July 13, 2008 -- Snowshoe, WV / Snowshoe Mountain Resort
Snowshoe Fire on the Mountain Chili Cook-off
Beverly King Crowned Regional Red Chili Champion at Snowshoe Resort's 17th Annual ChiliCook-Off
Story by Laura Parquette, Communications Manager at Snowshoe Mountain
Photos by Julie Black of iPlayOutside.com
Snowshoe, W.Va. -Snowshoe Mountain Resort was the hot place to be this weekend, as 98 contestants competed for $12,000 in cash and prizes at the 17th annual Fire on the Mountain Chili Cook-off.
Nearly 1,500 guests packed the mountaintop, taking in live music, family entertainment and of course plenty of mouth-watering chili.
On Saturday, Beverly King of Northern Virginia was named the weekend's big winner, taking home a check for $10,000 and bragging rights as the Regional Red Chili Champion. King, who has won at the Snowshoe Mountain event in previous years, will now compete for $25,000 at the National Chili Cook-off later this fall.
King saw some tough competition from a crowded field of chefs, which included two former National Champions, as well as Snowshoe's only three-time winner. The largest chili cook-off outside of the national event, Fire on the Mountain continues to be one of the region's most popular summer events.
Additional funds were collects for Challenged Athletes as guests used monetary votes to determine the weekend's People's Choice Winner. In total, $3,460 was donated to the deserving non-profit.
Fire on the Mountain continues to attract one of the most accomplished groups of chefs at any cook-off, with folks traveling from as far away as Ontario, Canada to test their recipes and skills. In addition to the red chili champion, Snowshoe also crowned winners in the salsa and verde (green) chili categories during the weekend's festivities.
Complete Winners List:
Red Chili: 1. Beverly King 2. Janie Bauer 3. Laurin Staley 4. Kim Eckley Salsa: 1. Carrie Lentz Parker (Leesburg, VA) 2. Laurin Staley (Nicholasville, KY) 3. Monica Parker (Alexandria, VA) Verde: 1. Richard Chauvin (Winsor, Ontario, Canada) 2. David Cobb (Tipp City, Ohio) 3. Tonya Simmons (Milton, WV) Additional Prizes Best Booth: Dragon's Breath Chili Showmanship: I Want You Top Rookie: Robert Rogers Best in WV: Tonya Simmons People's Choice: Wayne Blake
The 2008 Chili Cook-off was presented by these sponsors:
Snowshoe Mountain is a four-season, Intrawest destination resort situated in the southern portion of the pristine Allegheny Mountains. This 11,000-acre playground offers 1,500 feet of vertical drop for its expansive skiing and mountain biking terrain.
With a mountain top village nearly one mile high in the sky, Snowshoe offers unique variety of lodging, dining and shopping options. A host of special events and activities make the West Virginia resort a destination for the entire family.