Alexis Long
Student Life Editor
Forget pumpkin spice lattes. This year on Nov. 11, it’s all about celebrating veterans and judging the best chili during Tyler Junior College’s Veteran’s Day Chili Cook-off.
TJC’s Alumni Affairs director, Don Fraser, said the family-friendly competition is leaving the cooking up to not only faculty and staff, but also students.
“We don’t mind who brings it,” said Fraser. “The goal is to get a lot of involvement and participation from a lot of different organizations, so if they want to work together or maybe an individual has a great family recipe, they are welcome to do so.”
For $1 a bowl, anyone at TJC can get a taste of the many different types of chili that will be available.
Fraser and Learning Resource Center director, Marian Jackson, said that participants should bring their chili in a crock-pot to the conference room in White Administrative building by 10:45 a.m. The event will take place on Jenkins lawn, beginning at 11:30 a.m. and anyone who wishes to participate doesn’t need to sign up.
The competition has one big rule: no beans.
“If it’s got beans, it’s not soup… it’s chili,” said Fraser. “It doesn’t get judged if they put beans in it, but it’ll still get eaten though.”
Competitors are allowed to use any type of meat they want whether it’s beef, pork or even venison.
The event is designed to celebrate veterans and the sacrifices they have made for the country, a cause that is dear to Fraser’s heart due to being a retired Naval aviator and his family being in the military every generation.
“Veterans were in some ways the lucky ones, because obviously being a veteran means you made it back,” said Fraser. “We’ve had a lot of students here who were in battle zones who saw conflict on a day to day basis… We need to remember that these people have had experiences that most people will never have to experience.”
For more information about the event, contact dfra@tjc.edu.
