DEERFIELD CHILI fEST 2024 | CHILI COOK-OFF RULES
Saturday, Sept. 27th, 2025
Fireman’s Park, Deerfield, Wisconsin
Rules subject to change.
1. Teams may consist of an individual or a group of up to four people. Each team will be assigned a cooking and serving area. Only registered teammates, up to a total of four people, are allowed in the cooking and serving area. All chili must be prepared and served on the fest grounds.
2. Teams must submit an online registration form and $15 donation to Deerfield Lions Club. Payment may be mailed to: Deerfield Lions, P.O. Box 139, Deerfield, WI 53531 or paid via an invoice payable online via Square. Please make payable to Deerfield Lions Club.
3. Each team must cook a minimum of sixteen quarts (4 gallons). You can prepare more than that, if you like. It is to your benefit to have 4 gallons or more chili to last approximately 2-3 hours.
4. Teams are to cook and serve their chili in as sanitary manner as possible. Proper hand washing and other sanitation is expected. Hand wash stations will be made available. A food thermometer should be present at your chili booth. Use of gloves is mandatory for prep and serving chili. Items that must be kept cold must be stored properly in a portable cooler until needed. Raw meats should be in separate coolers from other ingredients. All ingredients should remain whole and prepared onsite. No refrigerators or electricity will be available.
5. A list of the ingredients going into your chili must be submitted with your registration form. We don’t want your recipe, just a list of items in it. All edible chili peppers legal in the U.S. are okay. Only USDA inspected meat please.
6. On your registration form, please list a name for your team. Pick a theme, decorate your booth and, if you want, dress up! A theme that tells something about your chili or about your team can go a long way toward influencing the public to vote for what you’ve cooked. Have fun! A best booth award of $50 will be awarded after chili winners are announced. If more than 20 teams are competing, we’ll add a runner up $25 prize.
7. Red and white chili categories will be awarded. If enough alternative options, such as vegetarian or vegan chili teams enter, we’ll categorize those as well. The number of awards depends on the number of chilis in any one category.
8. A panel of judges will vote the top chili teams in each category. Cash prizes to the top points getters.
9. Members of the public wishing to taste chili will purchase a punch card with one punch per taste. The Lions Club will provide ladles, cups, napkins, spoons for tasting, tasting punch cards, and sharpie markers. Runners will keep you stocked through the competition. People’s choice voting will continue until 60% of the teams run out of chili. At that time a 20 minute warning will be given to make final peoples choice votes. Tasting will continue as long as any chili remains up until 4:00 p.m. or sooner if all chili has been exhausted.
10. Best of show will be awarded to the top point getter amongst all chili categories. Top points will be determined by adding together the peoples’ and judges’ choice scores.
11. Teams can begin arriving as early as 8:30 a.m. Prep work can begin at 9:00 a.m. All teams are required to attend a brief meeting at 9:20 a.m. on the morning of the chili cook-off, on the infield of the baseball diamond. At this meeting, you will receive instructions for the day, be assigned a team number, given a swag bag, and be able to ask questions. Cooking will begin at 9:30 a.m. Cars will be allowed on the field to unload and load back up. Parking in area parking lots is required during the day. We will assign parking that morning.
13. All teams must supply their own easy-up tent/canopy, tables, heating unit, utensils, knives, cutting boards, hand wash, booth decorations and anything else that you will need to make your chili. Teams will be setting up outdoors. Please plan to cook and to keep your chili hot with portable gas or other non-electric power source. Please contact us at deerfieldlionsclub@gmail.com if any non-traditional cooking appliances will be used.
14. All teams must be in place, with all tables, decorations, etc., ready to go, and chili hot and ready to serve by 12:45 p.m. to allow for the judges vote. Serving to the public will begin at 1:00 p.m.
15. You will be asked to taste your chili before submitting your sample for judging. Refusal to do so may result in disqualification.
16. This is a non-sanctioned open event. Your chili is YOUR chili. Vegetarian, vegan, green, and white chili are all welcome. Any questions? Please ask at deerfieldlionsclub@gmail.com
17. Sorry, no refunds will be given if you register and then are unable to attend.