By Chris Frost
Eagle Times News Editor
CLAREMONT N.H. — It was a spicy good time at the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center on Saturday, Oct. 7, as the annual Fall Festival and Chili Cookoff brought in a large crowd ready for a tasty treat.
Residents enjoyed mild, spicy and medium chili as they checked out goods and services along the way.
Parks and Recreation Director Nicholas Lawrence said the Chili Cookoff was his first event after his 2022 arrival and was impressed.
“I’m not much of a cook, so we passed this off to our front-desk staff,” he said. “I think it’s really good, and we’re a dark horse to win the non-profit category.”
Claremont Community Center Assistant Director Justin Martin said his team made Gravity Cavity Leftovers Chili, which is part of Moody Park.
“We drew the pun on that, but we want to thank Rob, who made the chili for us,” Martin said.
Employee Hayden Tanner worked the booth and said the chili is pretty mild.
“It has a little zing to it,” he said. “Some people may think it’s hot, but I think it’s really good.”
Gym Monitor Jesse Foote said the chili has a little heat but is not too spicy.
“I think it has a chance to win the first-place title,” he said.
Denise Baker from Calvary Baptist Church brought their “Taste of Heaven Chili for the crowd.
“We had our meeting last night, got together, and we all made the chili,” Jeff Andrews said. “It’s our first time and a great time to get out into the community with everybody.”
He said making 10 gallons of chili was a new challenge.
“It was fun,” he said. “It’s a beef chili with a medium heat factor. There are jalapenos in there, but not a ton of them. We made our own chili seasoning and learned a lot.”
Canam Bridges Chil Chef Janet Barraby said they made Buck and Bean Venison chili with basic ingredients.
“It’s pretty mild, but everybody seems to love it,” she said. “It has good flavor and doesn’t burn your mouth.”
Tara Tilton leads Girl Scout Troop 30261 and said the troop’s chili changes each year.
“This is our ninth year in the Chili Cookoff, and the girls come and cook the chili for two days in batches and make crafts for the table,” she said. “We always have a good time. The girls get to make and serve the chili.”
She said sometimes they make hot chili.
“Sometimes we do chicken, and sometimes we do beef, and last year, we did pumpkin,” Tilton said. “This year, we are doing spicey with ancho chilis.”
Claremont City Manager Yoshi Manale brought The “City Manager’s Special Chili” and said he makes it at home a lot.
“When I saw they needed a couple more contestants, I thought, why not,” he said. “I’m an unofficial participant, but it’s special because I put a little Worcestershire sauce in there.”
He loves seeing the community getting together.
“Each year, everybody comes out and enjoys these events,” he said. “It brings everyone together no matter who they are, and it’s a nice thing for the community in general.”
Michele and Jeff Thomas were enjoying a tasty afternoon and sampled lots of chili.
“We come every year and love this,” Michele said. “I think it’s great they moved it inside because of the weather.”
Michele said she has lived in Claremont for 25 years and loves it.
“It’s been good to me my entire time here,” she said.
David Aquino from TPI Staffing was at the cookoff promoting job opportunities in the community.
“We’re promoting our new mobile app where you can search for all kinds of area jobs,” he said. “We have over 250 jobs, including 40-60 in the Claremont area alone.”
He said the app also includes coupons and discounts for area businesses.
“This is one of our favorite things to do, go out and celebrate the community,” he said.
For more information, visit tpistaffing.net.
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