Cayman Islands Chili Cook-Off is back!

| 03/03/2014

(CNS): Cayman’s local brewery is resurrecting a culinary event that was the precursor to the Taste of Cayman but is much missed by local and visiting chili-lovers. CayBrew's Marketing Manager Matthew Leslie says the CayBrew International Chili Cook off is sanctioned by the International Chili Society (ICS) and the winning team will get an all-expense paid trip to one of the finals of the regional competition. There will also be prizes for the second and third placed teams, as well as raffle prizes for people who come to enjoy the festivities and taste some of the delicious chili recipes in the competition. It also coincides with Caybrew’s 7th anniversary on 22 March. “What’s better to extinguish chili with but Caybrew?” Leslie asked.

“CayBrew has decided to bring this event back to Cayman,” Leslie said. “This was the original culinary festival in Cayman that was the catalyst for Taste of Cayman but a lot of people have come over the years and said they miss the chili cook-off because it was good friendly competition.”

He said they wanted to prove how well they can host this event so that next year, working with the ICS it can become a regional event. As a regional event, the Cayman Islands will compete with the 40 or so countries  in the Caribbean and Central America that take part in chili cook offs, such as Jamaica Puerto Rica, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.

The category is “Home-style chili”, which is very broad. Teams up to four people can enter and the entry fee is $100, which also gets the team registered with ICS.

The Caybrew  International chili cook off is being hosted on Seven Mile Beach on the land that is directly between the Lone Star Bar And Grill (the location for the original Chili Cook -Off) and Buckingham Plaza – the old entry way to the Hyatt.

Gates open on Saturday 22 March from noon until 8pm, and there will be bouncing castles and cotton candy for the kids. Attendees will pay $20, and they will get a wristband and five chili pots to sample the competing chilis. They can also purchase more chili pots to sample more chili.

As well as first, second and third place for the chili recipes, there will be a People’s Choice Award, Best Booth and the winner gets an all-expense paid trip to one of the chili finals

Sponsors include Cayman Airways, the Department of Tourism, Home Gas Ltd, Uncle Bill's and also Red Bull. Hurley’s Supermarket is the official Food Sponsor and all the teams that are registered will get gift certificates to do their shopping for the competition at Hurley’s.

The media sponsors for this event are Cayman News Service and CNS Business and attendees can get a “$5 off voucher” by going on either of those websites and printing off one voucher (see attached) for each person coming.

Leslie says there will be lots of music, lots of fun and raffle prizes, including Cayman Airways tickets and Home Gas is offering a big prize of a beautiful stove range, plus its installment and propane.

To enter or for more information, call 947-6699 or email CaybrewCookoff@cib.ky.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    stay away from the guetamalan insanity peppers!

  2. Anonymous says:

    20 bucks for five little tastes of chili?  If you're going to bring it back, bring it back the way it used to be, not the way Taste of Cayman does now.  Let everybody try all of the chili prepared so they can better vote. It's ok to make the portions smaller, but I for one don't want to pay extra to buy chili that I might hate. If someone didn't like the little taste they got in the old days, they tossed it into thebin, and there were usually a few that got binned!   

  3. Anonymous says:

    Great news, now we dont have to go to the taste of cayman anymore and get ripped off.. Well done to these guys for starting this back up..

  4. Gut Check says:

    It would be nice if there were a Sister Islands competition, and the top three to be entered in the main one.   There are some hella good cooks here.  

    • Anonymous says:

      Just accept you live far away from where the good things place rather than moaning.

  5. noname says:

    I really enjoyed this competition. I would like to sign up. CNS do you have info on signing up?

    CNS: Apologies! I will add this infomation to the article.

  6. TRUTH says:

    AWESOME I miss the old Chili Cook Offs

  7. Anonymous says:

    All MLA's should be forced to eat the spiciest one…for once shortly after eating you might see them moving at great speed!!! A novelty that would be.

    • Anonymous says:

      True and they might not be so full of $H!T.

    • Anonymous says:

      I know one or two that should have the hottest one delivered as a suppository, because that is where they talk out of and it would be the only way to shut them up.

  8. Anonymous says:

    My grandpa's will divulged the secret ingedients tohis award-winning chili: habaneros, scotch bonnet, and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid.