North Country Chili Cook-Off
26th Anniversary Celebrated
Awards Given for In-Person Competition, Restaurant Winners Announced
(WATERTOWN, NY) — The Volunteer Transportation Center hosted its in-person portion of the Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off Saturday, Feb. 22, drawing hundreds to the Dulles State Office Building in Watertown. This marked the 26th anniversary of the competition.
The event — which raises money for the Volunteer Transportation Center to fund crucial transportation to medical appointments and grocery shopping trips for local veterans and their families — is estimated to have raised more than $40,000.
“We had a great day showcasing the talents of so many people all while raising some crucial funding for the Volunteer Transportation Center,” said VTC Executive Director Sam Purington. “The money we raised that day will go a long way in helping us transport people in our communities to their medical appointments. People who otherwise might have no way to get there.”
That was a sentiment echoed by Jeremiah S. Papineau, Director of Communications and Foundation Director for the VTC.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day,” said Mr. Papineau. “We had a great mix of professional and amateur chefs all coming together to have some fun and, as Sam said, raise money to help us in our mission here at the VTC.”
Mr. Papineau added, like all fundraisers for the VTC, money raised goes to mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers who transport clients across Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties for the local nonprofit organization. This event specifically earmarks that funding for reimbursement to help transport those who are veterans or family members of veterans.
“Since the beginning, when this event was started thanks to collaboration with our friends from The American Legion Family, that’s been the focus,” said Mr. Papineau. “The VTC is here to transport all but this fundraiser is one where we put the focus on our veterans and their families. We’re thankful for all they’ve done for us and this is just one way we can give back.”
This year’s in-person event saw 16 teams participate, with a mix of professional and amateur entries. Attendees were able to taste chili from each team, sampling traditional styles and ones with different takes like white chicken chili, vegetarian chili and others. Entries were evaluated by a panel of judges and the special category awards were given by another panel of judges.
In the Professional Category, first place went to Empire Square of Watertown, led by owner Vonnette Monteith; second place went to the team from Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, led by Brent Shawcross; and third place went to Craft836 Canteen, a team led by Mike Sboro.
In the Amateur Category, first place went to the Watertown International Airport team, led by Tony Bender; second place went to the Sons of Sam Motorcycle Club from Oswego, led by Steven Price; and third place went to the Locas Amigas team from Watertown, led by Terra Thompson.
Other awards included Best Vegetarian entry going to Baked, a team led by Melissa and Chris Fitzgerald, Clayton. Most Unusual Recipe went to the Samaritan Medical Center team, led by Brent Shawcross. Their entry was described as a bourbon steak chili, which consisted of meat marinated overnight in bourbon. In addition, the awards for Best Decorated, Best Dressed, and Most Congenial went to the North Country German-American Club team, led by Karen Butcher.
In addition to plaques, cash prizes were awarded to all of the teams, with all of the teams donating their winnings back to the VTC.
“That was absolutely amazing and incredibly generous,” said Mr. Papineau. “That’s never happened in the history of the cook-off.”
What was also an historic moment for the cook-off was the winner of the People’s Choice Award. The top honor, which is chosen by those in attendance casting their ballots, was awarded after the vote was counted not only once but twice, said Mr. Papineau.
“It came down to one vote,” he said. “It’s also a first for the cook-off. It’s never been that close before. The counters had to check the ballots twice to be sure we knew exactly who won.”
As a result, Locas Amigas, a team of VTC volunteer drivers, led by Terra Thompson, took home the honor for their white chicken chili entry.
Other teams that also competed included Ella’s on the Bay, Morristown; Stewart’s Shops, Great Bend; The ARC Jefferson-St. Lawrence, Watertown; Hall Pass Tavern, West Carthage; Children’s Home of Jefferson County, Watertown; Meme’s Diner, Felts Mills; Charity Thompson of Watertown; and Lindsey McCann of Watertown.
Judges for the event included Mel Busler, John Dillenback, Lee Hinkleman, Les Shockley, Melissa Saffin, Lynn May, and Lindsey Gibbons.
This year’s in-person event also again included desserts created by Jessica Sheldon of Mud Pie Designs, which were for sale by donation to the Volunteer Transportation Center. That portion of the event raised $800. Raffle baskets, coordinated by Chili Cook-Off Chairperson Amy McEathron and donated by several local businesses, also raised $910. Everything came together to help make the event a success, said Mr. Papineau.
“The sponsors, the teams, the volunteers, everyone who came to the event. It was all that combined that made this another successful fundraiser for the VTC and a fun one for the community,” he said.
During the event, winners were announced for the restaurant-to-restaurant format of this year’s North Country Chili Cook-Off, which saw competition among participating restaurants and businesses in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties. This year, the People’s Choice Award for that format went to Silver Leaf Diner in DeKalb Junction, which received the most votes from people in the community and was has been the winner of that award for three years in a row. The Top Fundraiser Award went to Silver Leaf Diner for the first time, as they raised $1,538.72 in donations for the VTC.
Those that participated in the restaurant-to-restaurant format included:
• The Dockside Pub, 11 Market Street, Alexandria Bay
• JRECK Subs, 210 State Street, Carthage
• The Church Street Diner, 107 Church Street, Carthage
• Silver Leaf Diner, 3231 U.S. Route 11, DeKalb Junction
• Meme’s Diner, 31606 State Route 3, Felts Mills
• JRECK Subs, 7596 South State Street, Lowville
• Lloyd’s of Lowville, 7405 Utica Boulevard, Lowville
• munch., 7570 South State Street, Lowville
• Ella’s On The Bay, 209 Main Street, Morristown
• JJ’s on the River, 54 East River Street, Ogdensburg
• The Battlefield Eatery, 213 West Main Street, Sackets Harbor
• The Sandwich Bar, 113 West Main Street, Sackets Harbor
• Loony Goose Gastro Pub, 4173 West Road, Turin
• Craft836 Canteen, 836 Coffeen Street, Watertown
• Johnny D’s, 1 Public Square, Watertown
• JRECK Subs, 1218 Arsenal Street, Watertown
• JRECK Subs, 605 State Street, Watertown
• JRECK Subs, 525 Mill Street, Watertown
• JRECK Subs, 1248 Washington Street, Watertown
• Panera Bread, 21872 Towne Center Drive, Watertown
• The Grille at Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal Street, Watertown
• Hall Pass Tavern, 19 Bridge Street, West Carthage
• West Side Bar and Grille, 15 Bridge Street, West Carthage
The 26th Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off is supported by “Underwriting Level Sponsors” Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Watertown Savings Bank, Stewart’s Shops, United Food Service Operators, Advanced Business Systems, WWNY-TV 7News/Fox28/MeTV, Tunes 92.5/Intrepid Broadcasting, PixelIt, NNY360/Watertown Daily Times, Victory Promotions, and The American Legion Family. Platinum Level Sponsors include OneDigital, Independent Medical Evaluation Co., Kinney Drugs Foundation, Price Chopper, Purcell Construction Corporation, Samaritan Medical Center, The ARC of Jefferson-St. Lawrence, and Watertown Internists. Gold Level Sponsors include AmeriCU Credit Union, Bob Johnson Auto Group, Disabled Persons Action Organization, Keller Williams-Amy Kenney, Knowlton Technologies, NFP Corp., North Country Insurance Company, Northern Credit Union, Northern New York Community Foundation, Overhead Door of Watertown, SeaComm Federal Credit Union, State CS Employee Federal Credit Union, and Watertown International Airport Silver Level Sponsors include American Legion Post 1788; American Legion Post 583; American Legion Post 588 SAL; American Legion Post 789 Auxiliary; American Legion Post 821 Auxiliary; American Legion Post 832; American Legion Post 904 SAL; Brotherton Trucking; Carthage Savings & Loan; Cazenovia Equipment Company; Chimera Integrations; Clayton Lions Club; Community Bank, N.A.; DOCO Quick Print/Midgley Printing; Fuller Insurance Agency; GEICO Insurance-Mark Smith; GYMO Architecture Engineering & Land Surveying; Haylor, Freyer, & Coon; Hilton Garden Inn; Hospice of Jefferson County; RBC Wealth Management; Slack Chemical Company; and Steve Shannon Tire. Friends of the Cook-Off Level sponsors include American Legion Post 162 SAL, American Legion Post 1757 SAL, American Legion Post 583 Auxiliary, American Legion Post 586 SAL, Atlantic Testing Laboratories, CHJC, CNY Office Furniture, DGM Coon & Company, Gouverneur Elks Lodge 2035, Hall Pass Tavern, Jake Johnson Properties, Johnson Lumber, LLC, Lloyd’s of Lowville, Lowville Elks Lodge 1605, Meade Optical, North Country German American Club, Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists, The Dockside Pub, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1143, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1231, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6338, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7227 Auxiliary, and Weldon & Trimper Law Firm. Additional support is provided by Blue Mountain Spring Water, Doldo Bros., Dunkin’, Gray’s Flower Shop, Hannaford Supermarket, JRECK Subs, McQuade & Bannigan/The Sign Shop, Mud Pie Designs (Jessica Sheldon), Panera Bread, Pepsi Bottling Group, Sam’s Club, Staples, The Coughlin Group, and ZAPET Vibrations (Tom Ellis).
Proceeds of the North Country Chili Cook-Off benefit the Volunteer Transportation Center, which provides essential rides to health care appointments, grocery shopping, and other destinations for residents with no transportation alternatives. Funds raised through the cook-off are earmarked to provide transportation to Veterans and their family members, which make up roughly one-third of those transported by volunteer drivers through the VTC.
For more information about the 26th Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off, contact Mr. Papineau at 315-303-2590 or via email at jeremiah@volunteertransportation.org. Additional information is available on-line at www.volunteertransportationcenter.org/chili-cook-off.
ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER TRANSPORTATION CENTER
The Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. (VTC), established in 1991, drives thousands of miles each year assisting community members in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties and beyond. Over the last 30 years, this essential non-profit organization has provided rides to health care appointments, food sources and other critical needs destinations for residents.
In 2024, volunteer drivers provided 25,478 charitable trips over 876,509 miles in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties. Of those miles, 318,320 helped those in Jefferson County, 112,852 in Lewis County, and 445,337 in St. Lawrence County. That equated to approximately $438,255 in mileage reimbursement for our volunteers. That’s why the community’s help is so important.
The staff, boards of directors and volunteer drivers look forward to a time when transportation to community activities and services is accessible to all North Country residents regardless of economic or specialized needs. But for now the mission drives on — striving to provide transportation to health, wellness and critical needs destinations utilizing volunteers and mobility management for anyone who has barriers to transportation.
For more information about how you can help the Volunteer Transportation Center, about its upcoming events, or to become a volunteer driver, contact the agency in Jefferson and Lewis Counties at 315-788-0422, in St. Lawrence County at 315-714-2034, or Western New York at 585-250-5030. Volunteers drive their own cars, set their own hours and receive mileage reimbursement but, more importantly, make a difference in the community. To learn more, visit www.volunteertransportationcenter.org.