By Marilyn Miller
Amelia Rogers and Nancy Rogers walked away with top honors in the Over-All Division of the 2023 Minden St. Jude Chili Cook-Off Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Minden Civic Center. The team, dubbed “What’s Millie Making,” also took home second place in the People’s Choice competition.
The “Minden Foundation” team of Jay Fussell, Davidson O”Donnell, and Bo Branch took first place in People’s Choice, while Scott Spillers and Josh Spillers brought home first in Best of Show with their “Wookie Chow” booth set-up.
Between entry fees and the sale of People’s Choice tasting cups, the cook-off raised more than $9,000 toward the $2,030,000.00 raised over the four-day Minden St. Jude Auction.
The complete list of winners included the following: OVER-ALL DIVISION: “What’s Millie Making“ entered by Rogers and Rogers, first; “Webster Parish Farm Bureau’s” Reed McClendon, Stephen Lewis, Heith Demoss, and Clay Johnson, second; “Young Chili Dogs,” Dawson Day, Seth Mangrum, Jackson Waller, and Easton Sanders, third; “Save Money, Live Better, Eat Chili’s” Walmart Academy Team, fourth; “Fat Bottom Chili’s” Matthew and Jamie Coldwell, fifth; Micah Hanson’s “Too Chill-E,” sixth; “Freedom Chili” by Christine Sloan and Sue Williams, seventh; “When Pigs Fly” chili cooked by Scott McCullough and Nick McCullough, eighth; “Cast Iron Chili” by Clay Dixon and Hunter Dixon, ninth; “LTP” chili cooked by Michael Osborne, tenth; “It’s Getting Hot in Here” by Cade Coleman, EJ Woods, Joseph Windham, and Hunter Alford, eleventh; and “Jaguar Chili” entered by Audie Arnold and Megan Harmon, twelfth place.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE DIVISION: “Minden Foundation” entered by Fussell, O’Donnell, and Branch, first; “What’s Millie Making” cooked by Rogers and Rogers, second; and “Save Money, Live Better, Eat Chili” by the Walmart Academy Team, third.
BEST IN SHOW DIVISION: “Wookie Chow” entered by Spillers and Spillers, first; “Crave the Wave – Meadowview” entered by Brandy Moore, Fontella White and Rebecca Myles, second; and “Freedom Chili” by Sloan and Williams, third.
Randy Stevenson chaired the 2023 St. Jude Chili Cook-Off.