GLENBURN — It was the 12th day of Christmas and Church of the Epiphany celebrated the night when the Three Wise Men visited baby Jesus by holding a community chili cook-off. It was decided to celebrate this holy day with chili because it is a feast day and it normally gets cold this time of year.
“It’s nice to get together to celebrate a feast day and holy day,” said Mother Lou Divis, pastor of Church of the Epiphany.
The chili cook-off grew has grown sporadically over the years but Divis hopes to make it an annual event. People, including church members, brought crock pots of many kinds of chili, including some for meat lovers and others that vegans would enjoy.
Barbara Little, Christian education and social media coordinator of the church, entered a chili with vegetables because she’s a vegan herself.
“I don’t eat any animal products,” she said.
Her husband Rick is more of a meat-eater and brought a meat chili, including sausage and lean ground beef.
Joyce Enders and her husband John brought in a white chicken chili. Joyce admits to usually throwing things together but this time followed a recipe. She mentioned she didn’t bring chili to compete but for other people to enjoy.
“I’m not here to win but for people to try my chili,” she said.
There were two judges for the cook-off. Church member Stacy Lange, who was one of them, was asked by Mother Lou Divis and she agreed.
“It’s fun to help out and volunteer,” Lange said.
Glenburn Twp. supervisor Mike Savitsky also agreed to judge the contest.
“The church sent a request to the township building and I said ‘Sure’,” said Savitsky.
Lange and Savitsky judged each chili in many different categories such as unusual ingredients, darkest, prettiest, most colorful, most beans, and 4-alarm. They rated church member Maureen Wezmar’s sweet and smoky chili as the best vegan. Wezmar listed the ingredients, including tomatoes and corn, which she cans herself. She also included jalapeno jelly her dish.
“I put the jalapeno jelly to make it not so sweet,” she said.
Roger Mattes earned the award for the category of 2-alarm for his basic chili con carne, a chili made with with jalapeno, ceyenne, habanero, and fresno ingredients.
“I love it,” Mattes said about the cook-off. “Being part of this church, that’s the highlight. It’s a lot of fun.”
The winners of the cook-off were awarded prizes picked out of a hat by Mother Lou Divis. People also enjoyed cake with the words “We Three Kings” inscribed in icing on top. They were also given cookbooks to take home.
Church of the Epiphany has many other upcoming events such as a murder mystery from Starlite Productions of Tunkhannock this February.
