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Many turn up for Halloween Chili Cook-Off for Charity

By Tom Flanigan

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-991886.mp3

Tallahassee, FL – There was a chili contest for good causes in Tallahassee on Halloween. Tom Flanigan reports the yearly happening attracted lots of hungry samplers.

Long-time Capital City marketing man Rich Oppenheim won last year's contest with his unique "South Beach Chili" recipe

" .and then the heat is not from the jalapenos, which is what most people do. The heat is from chipotle and adobo."

Celebrity judges included Associated Press Capital Bureau staffer Brendan Farrington

"There's a crab chili and a vegetarian chili someone's got a Coca-Cola chili, but overall pretty good."

It happens every year at the Salter-Mitchell Agency where April Salter is the chief operating officer

"We started with just a luncheon with our staff and then we said we should invite our clients and then we said let's invite the community so it's just gotten bigger and bigger every year, and now it's a lot of fun; it's just a great way to raise money for charities."

This year's winning entry was cooked up by Julie Blankenship with the Justice Research Center. She'll be sending $1200 to needy kids in the tornado-ravaged town of Joplin, Missouri.