Try Amherst’s best at the Lions Club cookoff
Warm up on a chilly Friday night at Fire & Ice, the Amherst Lions Club’s 8th annual chili cookoff and ice cream social. The event takes place Friday, Feb. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Amherst Middle School.
Entrants will be serving 2 gallons of chili each in people’s choice, restaurant, and Lions Club categories. The chili is all you can eat until the slow cookers are empty.
“You go through the line and you can select as many different kinds of chilis as you want,” explained Amherst Lion Joan Ferguson. Each contestant has a number that is written on their bowls, so you can keep track of your favorites and go back for seconds if you wish.
A panel of judges will be grading the chilis on taste, smell, heat, creativity and presentation. The judges will select the winner for the restaurant and Lions Club categories, and give feedback on the people’s choice entries as well. However, attendees vote for the people’s choice winner. While people’s choice could theoretically be awarded to any category, in the history of the event an individual has always won people’s choice, said Ferguson.
This year’s judges will be Dan DeCourcey, Up in Your Grill owner and pitmaster; Amherst Police Chief Anthony Ciampoli, and local chili connoisseur Chad Camirand, described by Ferguson as having a “discriminating palate.”
Expect a wide variety of chilis, including some you may never have encountered before. There are usually traditional recipes, green chili, veggie, chicken and more, said Ferguson. One year, Cincinnati Chili, traditionally served over spaghetti, was a big hit. In 2020 two middle school students worked with their aunt to make a chili with great ingredients and spices and won people’s choice.
On the divisive debate of beans or no beans, Feguson said, “It’s about evenly divided — it really and truly is.”
The restaurant category this year will include an entry from previous winner Moulton’s Kitchen and Market. The Amherst Lions will be going head to head with the Bedford Lions for the best Lions Club chili, which no club has ever won consecutively.
Each winner will get a silver bowl trophy to keep until next year’s event, engraved with their name. They’ll also get a long-handled wooden spoon engraved with ‘Chili Master.’ And of course, they get to brag about having the best chili in town for a whole year.
The event will also include a make-your-own ice cream sundae bar, hot dogs, face painting, and a visit from Officer Berry — a yellow lab puppy who is Amherst Police Department’s new therapy dog. Weather permitting, there will also be ice skating and a bonfire at the school’s outdoor rink.
The Lions Club will also be providing free eye screenings, one of their philanthropic causes, and they’ll be raffling off a Napoleon Rogue propane grill.
“Winter is getting a little long in the tooth by February,” Ferguson said, so several years ago a member of the club came up with this event so the town could gather over a meal. “The community is able to get together on a cold winter’s night — there’s eating, there’s entertainment, there’s a lot of talking. It’s good to get everyone out of the house.”
If you want to try all the chilis, especially the crowd favorites, make sure you come early.
“Their Crockpots tend to empty out well before the two hours are up,” Ferguson said.
Fire & Ice Chili Cookoff and Ice Cream Social
When: Friday, Feb. 9, 5 to 7 p.m.
Where: Amherst Middle School, 14 Cross Road, Amherst
Tickets: $10 for adults, $6 for children 7 to 12, free for ages 6 and under. Families of four or more can buy a family ticket for $30. Purchase tickets at e-clubhouse.org/sites/amherstnh or at the door.
Featured photo: Last year’s chili cooks Irene Pyle (left) and granddaughter Charley Pyle will return to the Fire & Ice competition Feb. 9th at the Amherst Middle School.
