Ellicottville Rotary Club Announces Annual Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser
Ellicottville Rotary Club Announces Annual Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser
The Ellicottville Rotary Club invites the community to spice things up at their 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser, supporting local scholarships, playgrounds, and more.
Rotary Club of Ellicottville members lent a hand at the Taste of Ellicottville held earlier this month, selling Taste tickets and spreading the word about the Rotary’s upcoming Chili Cook-off.
ELLICOTTVILLE - The second annual Ellicottville Rotary Club Chili Cook-off Fundraiser is coming soon! Save the date for Saturday, September 27th from 4:00-7:00pm at Madigan’s upstairs, 36 Washington St.
Enjoy live music, chili tasting and ice cold beverages. Try your luck at the 50/50, gift basket raffle and an online silent auction. More items are being added weekly. Check out the Rotary’s Facebook page (Rotary Club of Ellicottville) or go directly to https://auctria.events/EVLRotary2025.
The number of chili cook-off contestants is limited to the first 25 applicants, so don’t dally! This is a very popular contest and chili cooks prepare all season for such a contest. Don’t lose your spot! Enter standard American fare, an old family recipe handed down since prairie days, or get creative with something like Jamaican jerk chicken chili or Asian peanut butter chili with puréed chipotles in adobo sauce. You can substitute beef with cubed pork, chicken or turkey, or go vegan, or maybe replace standard beans with chickpeas or hominy. For a real twist, try adding some chocolate chips, or perhaps concoct a middle Eastern, African, Asian, etc. influenced recipe. The possibilities are endless and last year’s winners were not run of the mill.
Here's how it works: Your $25 registration includes a ticket to taste the competitors’ chilis and the opportunity to have a great time while helping fundraising efforts to support our local community. Guests who want to attend and participate in the tasting portion will donate $10 at the door. Awards are for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place plus the coveted People’s Choice Award! Make yourself famous by bringing your best recipe in an 8-quart or larger crockpot, plus your toppings and condiments. Extension cords, 4-oz tasting cups, spoons and napkins will be provided. You can share the story of your dish on a tent card that will be provided. Cornbread is being supplied by Ellicottville Bake Shop.
Please remember, this is a fundraiser for the good works that the Ellicottville Rotary does throughout the year supporting your community. This past year, the club has already given out four $1,000 scholarships to graduating ECS students and a $4,000 grant for the Ellicottville Inclusive Playground. You’ll find Rotarians at the Spring cleanup, assisting in the various Chamber events including security at the Mardi Gras Parade. Rotary members assist with requests for ECS students, support our local library, feed the community at Thanksgiving, provide a safe, fun venue for our kids for Halloween, fight polio, and have raised substantial funds for the endangered yellow headed parrots in Belize as part of Rotary’s International commitment. This all takes money and the Rotary Club of Ellicottville is blessed to harness the energy of our growing number of members (24 to date). We know you’ll want to help. We are all Rotarians in our hearts (our motto - service above self) aren’t we? Here’s your chance to be part of something bigger than yourself.
Wondering how you can donate? We continue gathering items for gift baskets and the online silent auction. This wonderful, fun auction generated most of our revenue last year. Of course, you could just mail a donation to PO Box 56, Ellicottville, NY 14731.
The auction website is live and bidding has started. People can access the website by going directly to the website https://auctria.events/EVLRotary2025. The highest bid on Sept. 27th at 6:45pm wins services, craft products, and goods from local businesses and artisans as well as other donors from around the area.
Businesses that wish to donate goods/services for the auction, please contact Rotary via email (evlrotaryclub@gmail.com) or message the Ellicottville Rotary Club’s FB page (https://www.facebook.com/evillerotary/). Hope to see you there, and we thank you from the bottom of our Rotarian hearts.