Ethan Stowell is bringing back the cook-off! Way back in 2006, he hosted the first Chili Challenge at Union, and for years, the raucous and tasty competitions continued, putting dozens of chefs’ and home cooks’ secret recipes to the test and raising thousands for charity. The first of the 2013 cook-offs—Chili—will be on Sunday, February 24, at Tavolàta. Stowell has rounded up a gang of local chefs and food enthusiasts friends that are up to the challenge, and they’ll each prepare a batch of chili from their own favorite top-secret recipe.

When: Sunday February 24th at 6PM Where: Tavolàta Why: Chili & Charity! How Much: $50 for Chili, Salad, Garlic Bread & Beer! Reservations: Strongly Encouraged! Call 206.838.8008

Some of the professional competitors include: Manny Arce of Poquitos, Jim Romdall and Cameo Roberts of Vessel, and Dan Braun of Oliver’s Twist. Some of the non-pros include: David LeClaire of Wine World, The Brothers Yeh (Rocky and Ryan), Darren Vengroff (who holds the Gumbo title from January of 2008), and Kevin Erickson of Moshi Moshi fame.

Guests will be given a scorecard to taste and rate all the different pots of chili as the evening goes along, and the winner will receive, aside from international fame and fortune, a $200 gift card to Ethan Stowell Restaurants. The cook-off begins at 6pm and cost is $50/person. The cost includes tons of top-notch chili, salad, garlic bread, and tap beer. Smack talk is most definitely encouraged. Reservations are highly recommended, as previous cook-offs have consistently sold out. For reservations, please call Tavolàta at 206.838.8008.

In the past, these cook-offs—ranging from Fried Chicken Frenzy to Meatloaf Madness—have been wildly popular and included scores of local chefs such as Renee Erickson of The Walrus and The Carpenter, Ericka Burke of Volunteer Park Cafe, Mark Fuller of Ma’no Fried Chicken & Whisky, and Bill “Oyster Bill” Whitbeck from Taylor Shellfish—to name just a few. Home cooks have been known to smoke the pros, and most of the cook-offs center around down home classics—gumbo, mac and cheese, chowder, and the like. Past cook-offs raised thousand of dollars for charities including the Boys and Girls Club of King County, PAWS, Northwest Harvest, FareStart, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Seattle Children’s Theatre.

Save the Date: Sunday, June 16— BBQ (Father’s Day) Sunday, September 15— Fried Chicken Sunday, November 17—Mac and Cheese