Cooks Registration 2026
A Great Way to Help Local Kids
The purpose of our Chili Cook-Off is to raise funds for programs that support local youth activities. This is a great way for local organizations to have fun and, at the same time, contribute to the local community. Participation isn’t limited to organizations. Individuals or groups of friends can participate, too.
Teams are encouraged to have their own theme. You’ll get your own booth to decorate. Costumes are optional.
To win, you’ll need to attract attendees to your booth and get them to use one of their tickets to “purchase” a portion of your chili. So be sure to spice up your booth, along with your chili.
There’s a registration fee ($60 for a single-table booth or $100 for a double-table booth) that helps cover the Chili Cook-Off’s expenses. Any extra funds go into our general fund, which is disbursed to support local youth programs, activities, and scholarships.
You can view a list of our recent contributions here.
Awards
Categories
First place in each category receives a trophy. Second and third places are awarded a plaque.
Best Chili
Overall judge’s choice. Traveling trophy for first place.
Hottest Chili
The hotter the better!
People's Choice
People vote for their favorite!
Showmanship
Judged on themes, decorations, costumes and/or performance.
Schedule of Events
| 8:00 | Cooks set up |
| 9:00 | Cooks Meeting |
| 11:00 – 3:00 | Doors Open |
| 12:00 | Showmanship Judging |
| 1:00 | Chili Judging |
| 3:00 | Last call for chili |
| 3:30 | Awards |
| 4:00 | Clean-up |
Additional Info
Cooking Rules
- Single entry or teams welcome. There is no maximum number of people per team.
- The cost is $60 for 1 table (10′ x 10′ space) and $100 for 2 tables (10′ x 20′ space).
- A maximum of two types of chili per table, and each table will have its own ticket bucket.
- Table locations will be assigned by the Breakfast Optimists. If you have a preference, please note it at the bottom of your application. We will attempt to accommodate requests, but there are no promises.
- Contestants must furnish their own ingredients, equipment, utensils, and fuel. Electrical outlets will be available, and we will supply each table with an extension cord.
- Contestants are responsible for maintaining their chili at the proper serving temperature.
- The Terre Haute Optimist Breakfast Club will provide spoons, cups, and napkins for serving to the public.
- Chili may be prepared on site or brought to the site pre-cooked. Special consideration will be given to those who cook on site.
Awards
Trophies for 1st place will be awarded for each category and plaques for 2nd place. Best Chili, Hottest Chili and Showmanship trophies will be judged by a special committee. The People’s Choice trophy will be determined by the total number of tickets collected per team per table.
Showmanship will be judged based on the overall theme of your team’s décor and costumes!
Feel free to promote your business! Judging will begin at 1:00 pm and tickets for the People’s Choice will be collected at 3:00. The awards will be announced at 3:30.
Ingredients
Use your favorite recipe, with or without meat, beans or pasta. Meat may be beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey or wild game. Vegetarian chili is also acceptable. Beans are encouraged but not mandatory. Ingredients may be cut, shredded or ground to any size. Pre-cooked beans are okay.
Chili Rules
Each entry must cook a minimum of 5 gallons of chili. Each table will be given buckets with a number to collect the tickets. The public will purchase tickets at the door.
To obtain your chili, attendees will place tickets into the bucket:
- 1 ticket for a small cup tasting
- 3 tickets for medium-size cup
- 5 tickets for a take-home container
Cook set up will start at 8:00 am. The doors open and we begin serving at 11:00 am.
The more people you know, the better chance you have of winning the People’s Choice award!
Cook's Registration - 2026
Register as a cook for the Terre Haute Breakfast Optimist Club's 2026 Chili Cook-Off.