Warm up some chili

YSB Dam Chili Cookoff to Kickoff Feb. 17

There’s nothing that hits better on a cold day than a bowl of chili. Luckily for locals, the Youth Service Bureau will have plenty of chili to warm the soul as well as music and fun to warm the heart on from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Feb 17 at the annual Dam Chili Cookoff — aptly named as it is located on the dam on Main Street in Martindale.

The YSB will also hold a Mardi Gras themed musical event in Martindale from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 15 at Duett’s Texas Club in Martindale to kick off the fundraising festivities.

YSB Executive Director Julie Hollar said the chili teams will provide cups, and there are free tastings for event goers as long as supplies last. She said there will also be salsa this year, and baskets of chips will be sold for taste testing purposes.

Proceeds from the event go entirely to the Youth Service Bureau, an afterschool, weekend and summer program that takes kids ages 11 to 17 out to do fun activities in the community and provides volunteer and educational opportunities as well. The entry fee for the chili cookoff is $5. There will be a silent auction. There will also be t-shirts for sale that were made by Workschop. Some shirts will be premade, and there will be a heat press on sight for additional sizes needed.

“For the silent auction we get art, gift certificates [and] every time we get some sort of Willy Nelson Memorabilia,” Hollar said. “His sound guy is one of our friends.”

According to the Hollar, approximately 1,400 people come out for the event annually. However, furry friends must be left at home.

“People can bring their own stuff in — drinks, food and chairs,” Hollar said, stressing that you will not want to forget the chair as seating is limited.

As for the chili portion of the event, as of last year it is sanctioned by Tolbert, which means the winner gets to go to the Terlingua Chili Cookoff. The winner in 2023 was Pamela Steger, owner of Steger’s Chiffonade — a local catering and meals-on-the-go food service company. Steger said she has been participating in the cookoff for approximately 14 years and has won four times.

She said her recipe is a traditional Texas Chili Recipe, which as everyone knows means there are no beans.

“It took my sister and I several years to get it where we wanted it. Probably the first four or five years we didn’t even place,” Steger said, adding that the recipe evolved when they started doing more research on what a winning chili at competitions like Terlingua was composed of. “Some people say it’s a chili gravy because it’s really just meat and sauce. It’s simple.”

Steger said she loved the Terlingua Chili Cookoff and that it was a huge event with an even bigger turnout.

“[There were] hundreds and hundreds of people camping out in West Texas,” Steger said. “There’s live music every night and community dinners and lunches. We just had a great time. The property that it's on is right next to Big Bend, so it's just mountains and big skies.”

Hollar said the YSB is still accepting donations for the silent auction and are still looking for corporate sponsors for the event. You can drop off items for the auction at the new Youth Service Bureau location — right next to Medpark Pharmacy on Medical Parkway. For corporate sponsorship, email julie@ysb.org.