Written by: Cassandra Sprigg (South Bend, 2015-2018)

A tradition exists every fall that draws employees in from around Northern Indiana to compete in a battle for glory and bragging rights…The Annual Chili Cookoff.

On Wednesday, October 7, Holladay Properties’ South Bend office hosted the event at the Holladay-owned Hilton Garden Inn on State Road 933. A group of 16 chefs comprised of employees from the South Bend and Portage offices, as well as Maple Lane Apartments and West Jefferson Apartments, competed in the 2-tiered competition for the titles of Best Chili and Best Dessert.

Competitors arrived at 10:30 AM to drop off their dishes, in hopes of a victory. The Chili Cookoff Committee led by Amanda Domalewski, Melissa Fowler-Nelson, Cassie Sprigg, Shelby Seifer and Diane Sopczynski then removed the chilies from their crockpots, carefully placing them in unmarked chaffing dishes, so that the judging would be impartial. Desserts were also put out and prepared for distribution to the judges.

The first tier of the cookoff involved a panel of 6 judges who were charged with awarding a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place dish based on their scores for the following:

CHILI
Appearance, aroma, consistency, initial taste and aftertaste

DESSERT
Appearance, taste, difficulty and creativity

Tim Healy, Mary Baker and Becca Lusk took on the challenge of judging 11 hearty chilies, while Catherine Garrison, Tim Baker and Elliot Lusk judged 9 unique desserts. After sampling each one, they completed their scorecards and submitted them for tallying.

With the judge’s tasting complete, it was time to open the dishes for general audience review. Employees were able to sample each chili and dessert, and then vote for one of each item to win the coveted People’s Choice award.

 

After filling their stomachs to the brim, the results were in:

CHILI
1st Place — Melissa Morin
2nd Place — Wills Gardner
3rd Place — Shasta Kreighbaum
People’s Choice — Shasta Kreighbaum

DESSERT
1st Place — Kathy Williams
2nd Place — Cassie Sprigg
3rd Place — Lauren Quiett
People’s Choice — Cassie Sprigg

Our winners now not only have bragging rights for the year, but also several fun prizes including PTO, gift-cards, hotel stays, etc. to enjoy as their spoils.

Fun was had by all at the event, and we can’t wait until next year’s competition.

Congratulations to our winners!

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