Initiated in July, 1982, the Annual Chili Cook-Off has developed into a summer highlight for residents of the Treasure Coast. The event was actually conceived by a group of patrons who frequented the "Rodeo," at the Holiday Inn, on Okeechobee Road, at the Fort Pierce Turnpike Exit. The manager of the Holiday Inn in 1982, Will Jansen, just happened to be a member of the Fort Pierce Exchange Club and thought the Cook-Off would be an excellent method to raise funds for the civic organization. In reality, any type of fund raiser would have been appreciated since the Fort Pierce club had established a rather dismal track record for generating revenue to fund a variety of worthwhile projects. The proposal to organize the Cook-Off coincided with a National Exchange Club initiative directed toward the prevention of child abuse (the project was referred to as SCAN representing Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect,) and the local Exchange members quickly decided to earmark the funds raised to support the national project and help establish a Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse for the local community.
The first Chili Cook-Off was conducted in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn, and 33 teams participated. The team comprised of members of the Crystal Restaurant and Town and County Hair Salon won top honors in the preparation of chili. Today, the award for best chili is named in honor of Jim Lamb, the wining chef at the inaugural event. In year three of the event, Jim Lamb shared his winning chili recipe with a fellow competitor, Charles Bengyak, owner of The Silver and Gold Exchange. Needless to say, Jim was quite shocked and somewhat dismayed when the Silver and Gold Exchange was awarded first place for best chili.
Fund raising efforts have become extremely competitive over the history of the Cook-Off. In year one, the Bell South Pioneers battled for top honors with a group known as the B.B.C or Bearded B------- Club. Several members of the B.B.C. team assisted in the origination of the Cook-Off and frequented the Holiday Inn on a regular basis. Many participants in the early Cook-Offs will remember Ray Alford, a devoted supporter of the event, leader of the B.B.C. and a man committed to the prevention of child abuse.
The Cook-Off was conducted for its first few years of existence at the Holiday Inn. When the event outgrew the parking lot, the festivities were moved to the St. Lucie County Civic Center in the mid 1980s. The Cook-Off also grew to a two-day event beginning with a Friday evening celebration followed by the actual Cook-Off on Saturday. The fact that the Cook-Off was conducted in July occurred simply because of tradition. The first event was held in July, and no one wanted to tamper with the success that the Cook-Off had experienced. However, in 2004, the Civic Center was devastated from Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne resulting in the move to a new location at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds. The date of the Cook-Off was also changed to October in an attempt to minimize the impact of inclement weather at an outdoor facility.
During the past 25 years, there have been a number of memorable moments, a variety of Cook-Off themes, hundreds of teams, and thousands of participants involved. Themes for the Cook-Offs have been quite diverse and included Mexican Fiesta, Beach Party, Mardi gras, Famous Cartoon Characters, Tribute to Elvis, and Under the Big Top. Southern Eagle Distributing, Harbor Federal Savings Bank (now PNC Bank), and The Tribune are three teams that have been actively involved in the Cook-Off since inception. Riverside National Bank has been participating for more than twenty years. During the last decade, a number of St. Lucie County governmental agencies have become very competitive at the Cook-Off.
The teams representing the St. Lucie County Employees of the Board of County Commissioners, Property Appraiser, Clerk of the Court, Tax Collector, Firefighters and Paramedics and Sheriff’s Department have generated significant revenue in support of the Cook-off. Over the years of the event, certain teams have concentrated their efforts on fundraising initiatives while other teams focus on showmanship coupled with fundraising. The showmanship category has been quite competitive and for 2010 will encompass three distinct elements: Costuming, Booth, and Stage Performance. During the past decade, Indian River Community College dominated the competition in the Showmanship category and proved to be a crowd favorite with their entertaining stage performances.