11th Annual Chili Cookoff Benefits B.A.Y Center with Live Music and Unlimited Tasting
Some events earn a spot on the calendar because they are big. This one earns it because it is fun, familiar, and built around a good cause.
This year marks the 11th Annual Chili Cookoff hosted by Odd Fellows North Point 4. "It has a special place in lodge history, and in mine. It was the first event I ever planned and threw as a member of Odd Fellows North Point 4, and from the beginning, it was designed to do more than fill a room" said organizer Jeff Phillips.
Every year, the cookoff has been dedicated to charity. The lodge does not keep any of the proceeds. For 9 out of the first 10 years, the money helped fund Odd Saint Nick, the Christmas present charity created and managed also by Jeff Phillips. This year begins a new chapter. Proceeds from the cookoff will help fund the B.A.Y. Center, a new youth recreational center for the arts now in development.
This cookoff has always been about giving back
The chili cookoff was never meant to be just another party. It became one of those events where good food, friendly competition, and community support all fit naturally in the same room.
For many years, that support went toward Odd Saint Nick. The idea behind Odd Saint Nick was simple and meaningful: help make Christmas brighter for families through gifts and care. The chili cookoff helped make that possible year after year.
Phillips continued, "Now, after a long and meaningful run, we are stepping away from Odd Saint Nick and putting the energy behind a new project with a different kind of long-term impact."
The B.A.Y. Center, short for Baltimore Area Youth, is being developed as a youth recreational center for the arts. The project is expected to officially launch sometime next spring. The goal is to create a place where young people can relax, learn, play, eat, and build creative skills without cost becoming the thing that keeps them out.
Along with recreation, the center will offer free instruction in a wide range of creative fields, including painting, theater, film making, pro sound, photography, DJ skills, instrument lessons, and more.
That kind of access matters. A young person might walk in for video games or food and discover photography. Someone else might come for music and find out they love sound production. Another may try theater for the first time and find confidence they did not know they had.
That shift makes this year’s cookoff feel both familiar and new. The chili is still the star. The music is still local. The drinks are still seasonal. The room will still feel like the cookoff people remember. But the purpose is moving toward something that can grow into a steady resource for Baltimore-area youth.
The chili cookoff helps take that idea from planning to reality. Every bowl tasted, every ticket bought, and every person who shows up helps build momentum for the next step.
The chili contest still brings the friendly heat
At the center of the event is the chili contest, and yes, there will be unlimited tasting.
That is part of what makes the cookoff such an easy event to enjoy. Everyone gets to sample, compare, debate, go back for another taste, and argue gently over which pot deserves the bragging rights. Some entries come in classic and hearty. Others lean spicy, smoky, sweet, or experimental. The fun is in trying them all.
"The cookoff is not our biggest party of the year, but it may be the most fun", said Phillips. Chili has a way of lowering the pressure in the room. People talk. They compare notes. They ask who made what. They try something they did not expect to like, then go back for more.
Along with the contest, there will be a full menu of specialty chili-related foods. This year, a new item is joining the lineup: the “Southern Hospitality.”
That plate brings together a cornbread waffle topped with chili and cheese. It is warm, filling, a little over the top, and exactly the kind of thing that belongs at a chili cookoff. If the regular tasting cups are for sampling, the Southern Hospitality is for settling in.
Seasonal drinks and local music keep the room moving
Food may bring people through the door, but the atmosphere is what keeps them there.
The cookoff will feature signature seasonal drinks, including a “special” grownup hot cider and hot chocolate. They fit the season, they fit the room, and they make the event feel like more than a contest.
Live local entertainment has always been part of the cookoff, too. This year’s music will be provided by Classic Cuts, Mike Booz, and Ava Arrington. That gives the night the kind of live sound that makes a community event feel alive without losing its relaxed, come-as-you-are feel.
That is what makes this cookoff matter. It is not just a night of chili, music, seasonal drinks, and friendly competition. It is a way to help create a future space where youth can play, learn, create, and belong.
Come hungry. Taste everything. Try the Southern Hospitality. Stay for the music. And know that every bit of the fun is helping build something bigger.
Comments