Super Bowl of chili: Here are the winners in the Great Tuscaloosa Chili Cookoff

Ken Roberts, The Tuscaloosa News
·2 min read

More than 30 teams competed in the Exchange Club‘s 15th annual Great Tuscaloosa Chili Cookoff, heating up a cold and wet Saturday in the Druid City.

The event, held at the Paul W. Bryant Conference Center on the University of Alabama campus, allowed people to sample chili made by the teams and vote for their favorites.

A panel of judges also voted for their favorite chili makers and gave awards for the teams with best booths and the best costumes.

The teams, which consisted of civic organizations, charitable groups, businesses and more, showed their sense of humor with plenty of chili puns and pop culture references. For instance, Synovus Bank had a Pirates of the Chili-bean booth while the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office served up its recipe for Jailhouse Chili. Other booths included references to "M*A*S*H," "Sesame Street" and "The Wizard of Oz, to name just a few.

Feb 11, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Kendra Martin serves up chili at the Chili on Pointe booth, an entry of Morning Pointe Assisted Living and Memory Care at The Great Tuscaloosa Chili Cookout at the Bryant Conference Center Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa.
Feb 11, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Kendra Martin serves up chili at the Chili on Pointe booth, an entry of Morning Pointe Assisted Living and Memory Care at The Great Tuscaloosa Chili Cookout at the Bryant Conference Center Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa.

Here‘s a look at the winners:

• Grand Champion Awards: OD'd on Chili Transport/Handi-Care Transportation earned first place. Second place went to Voodoo Chili/Hotel Capstone and Wizards of Chili/Spire finished third.

• People‘s Choice: Tuscaloosa Toxic Chili/Tuscaloosa Firefighters Local 403 earned first place. Second place went to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UA and Hot Pursuit/The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office finished third.

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• Best booth: M*A*S*H* 4077th Swamp Stew/Kiwanis Club of Greater Tuscaloosa. Party Marty's/Queen City Title earned an honorable mention.

• Best costume: Taco 'Bout Da Best Chili/Bryant Bank. Lagniappe Chili Crew/Alabama Credit Union earned an honorable mention.

• Showmanship: The Hard Hats/Child Abuse Prevention Services. The Posse/Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office earned an honorable mention..

• Honorable mention: Lagniappe Chili Crew/Alabama Credit Union, Thread Heads/McStitches Embellished Goods and Hot Pursuit/The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

Feb 11, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; The chili simmers at the Chili on Pointe booth, an entry of Morning Pointe Assisted Living and Memory Care at The Great Tuscaloosa Chili Cookout at the Bryant Conference Center Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa.
Feb 11, 2023; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; The chili simmers at the Chili on Pointe booth, an entry of Morning Pointe Assisted Living and Memory Care at The Great Tuscaloosa Chili Cookout at the Bryant Conference Center Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa.

The cookoff, which began in 2007, benefits the Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa and its work in child abuse prevention, youth development, community service, and Honoring America projects. The organization donates to local charities as well.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Here are the winning teams in the Great Tuscaloosa Chili Cookoff