Contestants will make and serve chili at the event and compete to win in five categories:

• Best All Around – Professional Chef
• Best All Around – Amateur Chef
• Wildest Chili (spicy, unique ingredients, fun presentation)
• Best Vegan or Vegetarian Chili
• Best Chili Side Dish

Event Details:

• Saturday, November 7
• 4 – 7 pm
• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon – 61980 Skyline Ranch Road, Bend

Contestants should plan to:

• Prepare their chili in a commercial kitchen space (see note below) – Think Wild will have kitchen space available the day before the event
• Follow all food safety preparation, heating, cooling, and storage guidelines
• Serve chili from a crockpot or chafing dish to keep food warm (electrical outlets + extension cords provided)
• Stay for the duration of the event
• List the ingredients and/or allergens in their food
• Make enough for ~300 small tastings (cups and spoons provided)
• If desired, hand out recipes, flyers etc
• Bring 1 helper to support serving and allow for breaks (contestant + helper get free admission to the event)

IMPORTANT NOTE: All temperature-controlled foods (chili, soups, stews, etc.) must be prepared in an approved kitchen facility. We will have commercial kitchen space available for food prep the day before the event, or you can prepare your chili at a food truck, catering space, school, church, community center, or restaurant kitchen if you have access to that. Cornbread and other sides can be prepared in a home kitchen as long as they do not need to stay hot/cold to be safe for consumption.

Want to taste and judge delicious chili instead of joining the competition? Early bird tickets are now on sale!

• Reserve a table: $500 – includes 8 admission tickets and reserved seating
• Adult Early Bird: $45
• Youth Early Bird (12 and under): $20
• Children under 3: Free

Admission includes one sample of each chili and side dish!

This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team. 

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Compete in the Get Wild Chili Cook-Off

by The Source Staff, The Source - Bend, Oregon
August 4, 2026

<h1>Compete in the Get Wild Chili Cook-Off</h1> <p class="byline">by The Source Staff, The Source - Bend, Oregon <br />August 4, 2026</p> <p class="has-drop-cap">Contestants will make and serve chili at the event and compete to win in five categories:</p> </p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Best All Around - Professional Chef</li> <li>Best All Around - Amateur Chef</li> <li>Wildest Chili (spicy, unique ingredients, fun presentation)</li> <li>Best Vegan or Vegetarian Chili</li> <li>Best Chili Side Dish</li> </ul> <p><strong>Event Details:</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Saturday, November 7</li> <li>4 - 7 pm</li> <li>Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon - 61980 Skyline Ranch Road, Bend</li> </ul> <p><strong>Contestants should plan to:</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Prepare their chili in a commercial kitchen space (see note below) - Think Wild will have kitchen space available the day before the event</li> <li>Follow all food safety preparation, heating, cooling, and storage guidelines</li> <li>Serve chili from a crockpot or chafing dish to keep food warm (electrical outlets + extension cords provided)</li> <li>Stay for the duration of the event</li> <li>List the ingredients and/or allergens in their food</li> <li>Make enough for ~300 small tastings (cups and spoons provided)</li> <li>If desired, hand out recipes, flyers etc</li> <li>Bring 1 helper to support serving and allow for breaks (contestant + helper get free admission to the event)</li> </ul> <p><strong>IMPORTANT NOTE:</strong>&nbsp;All temperature-controlled foods (chili, soups, stews, etc.) must be prepared in an approved kitchen facility. We will have commercial kitchen space available for food prep the day before the event, or you can prepare your chili at a food truck, catering space, school, church, community center, or restaurant kitchen if you have access to that. Cornbread and other sides can be prepared in a home kitchen as long as they do not need to stay hot/cold to be safe for consumption.</p> <p>Want to taste and judge delicious chili instead of joining the competition? Early bird tickets are now on sale!</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Reserve a table: $500 - includes 8 admission tickets and reserved seating</li> <li>Adult Early Bird: $45</li> <li>Youth Early Bird (12 and under): $20</li> <li>Children under 3: Free</li> </ul> <p>Admission includes one sample of each chili and side dish!</p> <p><em>This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team. </em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com/business/businessnews/compete-in-the-get-wild-chili-cook-off/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com&quot;&gt;The Source - Bend, Oregon&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.bendsource.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cropped-Untitled-design-4.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.bendsource.com/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=95898&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.bendsource.com/business/businessnews/compete-in-the-get-wild-chili-cook-off/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/bendsource.com/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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