A CT town has a food contest not to be missed. This year’s event features 17 restaurants.

Christine Harding, owner of Litchfield’s Toast & Co restaurant, is so emotionally invested in the town’s upcoming signature hot dog competition that she broke her vegetarian diet to taste test hot dogs of various combinations.

Harding, who doesn’t normally even sell hot dogs at her breakfast and lunch restaurant, finally came up with a creation she’s calling “The Bee Sting.”

So far the hot dog she’ll offer in hopes of wooing voters over the weekend has cream cheese, jalapeno, cheddar cheese and is drizzled with warm honey.

Turner said the big question is still out there: Should she add bacon?

Harding gives it her all, even swallowing meat, because she loves what the contest stands for.

“It’s community, it’s small town Americana,” she said. “We’re really blessed in our community.”

Litchfield’s third annual Top Dog hot dog contest begins Friday and goes through Monday, with votes to be cast online with QR codes.

The winner will be announced Wednesday on National Hot Dog Day at a concert on the Green.

This year’s event features 17 restaurants.

The Top Dog contest draws from other part of the state and is organized by the town’s Economic Development Commission to increase tourism, stir restaurant business and expose people to new eateries, said Lindsey Turner, vice-chair of the EDC.

“People love food in general and it’s a great way to bring everyone together,” she said. ” It’s a lovely sense of camaraderie. It brings excitement.”

Some people travel long distances to taste and to make a day of it, visiting interesting sites in Litchfield.

“People travel, get really serious and try every one,” Turner said.

Some visitors buy a drink to go with their hot dogs and some even stay at restaurants for more food, Turner said.

Turner said her family goes together to as many participating restaurants as they can and they each take a bite of the dogs for variety.

One year there were over 2,000 votes, she said.

Jonathan Philips, executive chef and co-owner with his wife of Clubhouse Provisions by Stonybrook Golf, is entering a unique hot dog he already has on his menu called, The Korean Dog. It’s a 1/4 pound, all-beef Hebrew National dog on a potato roll topped with vegetable kim chi, gochujang aioli, house made pickled jalapenos and cilantro.

“It’s a great idea,” Philips, a newcomer to the contest said. “The economic department (in Litchfield) is incredible and has done a great job.”

He said Litchfield’s EDC is exceptional in finding activities to bolster businesses.

The Top Dog defending champion is Jackie’s Restaurant. Last year they were the winner — or “wiener,” as the organizers like to call it — with The Bantam Mash, a hot dog featuring grilled house-made mashed potatoes, bacon, scallions, and cheddar cheese on a foot-long Hummel hot dog on a grilled bun.

This year’s entry by Jackie’s will be The Big Jack dog, a Hummel foot-long dog topped with sauerkraut, onion, cheddar, and pickles, drizzled with 1,000 Island dressing on a grilled bun.

Another interesting entry is from Ollie’s Pizza: an all beef hot dog with sautéed Brussels sprouts, garlic, pancetta, and Italian seasoning, drizzled with sriracha mayo.

The first winner in 2021 was Gooseboro Drive-In, which presented a suite of four dogs: The Double Cheese Chili Dog, a 10-inch Hummel hot dog topped with homemade chili, American cheese, and cheese sauce; the Famous Hot Dog, a 6-inch Hummel natural casing hot dog topped with homemade Famous Relish, sauerkraut, and pickle slices; The Red Hot, a Hummel Red Hot split, grilled, and topped with sweet red pepper relish and chopped onion; and The New Yorker, a 10-inch, all-beef hot dog topped with New York style “cart sauce.”

This year, Gooseboro Drive-In’s entry is, The Hammer Double Dog. It’s a Red Hot with chili, a 6″dog, cheese sauce, and slice of bacon.