Well, they cooked, they came and they showed the crowd what they created. Others came to eat and judge the best chili … who could beat Scottie B.? Was it possible? As it turns out, yes. Scott Bjerkos was dethroned.
Randy Overson was crowned Chili King for the 2023 Chili Challenge. Second place was Scott, third place was Veronica Hoiland. Honorable mentions were Shelly Bass, who represented Wildcat Bar and Grill in Ontario, Wisconsin, and Kristina Reser-Jaynes, who both tied for fourth place. Most original chili honors went to Zach Wellman from La Crosse (Amara’s cousin), who made a delicious venison and chocolate chili!
The backstory to all of this is we were worried that no one was going to enter, as no one signed up on our site. Two directors scrambled to make some chili in case no one entered. One director recruited two friends to make some, to ensure we had enough chili to serve the crowd. As it turned out, everyone who won was a director. Hopefully next year we’ll have more cooks sign up, and the directors won’t have to make any! But it was good to be safe than sorry.
So is Randy a professional chili chef? No. The funny part about all of this is Randy had never made chili in his life. He slaved over the kitchen stove the night before the event and followed a recipe he found online. I tasted it and said, “Nope. It needs more zing!” So he added this and added that until it tasted better.
We want to thank everyone who came and supported our foundation. Whether you just came to eat, work at the admission table, listen to our musical entertainment provided by Tim Eddy, participate in the silent auction, chat with Representative Loren Oldenburg and Vernon County Judge candidate Tim Gaskell, or look at our informational table, THANK YOU for coming! Next year, we will be challenging everyone to “Beat Randy O.!”
Big thanks to all those who made chili:
Scott Bjerkos, Barbara Frank, Kristina Reser-Jaynes, Veronica Hoiland, Randy Overson, Steve La Forest, Shelly Bass (2 entries), Nancy Hatlevig and Zach Wellman
Photos courtesy of Kristina Reser-Jaynes
