A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to be a judge at The Bayou Church’s annual Chili/Gumbo Cookoff. This annual event brings awareness to Operation Christmas Child.

Operation Christmas Child is through Samaritan Purse in which each family packs a shoebox with items for a boy or girl. A great way to spread holiday cheer to those who are less fortunate. In addition, praying for the child who will receive the items. Such a sweet and powerful way to serve someone else.

My daughter & I arrived at The Bayou Church about 20 minutes prior to the time we had to check in.  It was a pleasure to have my little girl with me as my little assistant. I love that with what I do, I can take the kiddos along with me sometimes.

We checked in and received instructions and a free gift which consisted of a Gumbo    T-shirt which was super cute, a generous gift.

We had a few minutes before the event so baby girl and I walked around and checked out the setup.

  

At 3:30 it was time to get started, baby girl and I were ready to get to try the Chilis and Gumbos that each team had prepared. The weather was perfect for the event.

There was a good variety of traditional chilis. Chilis that were made with turkey, regular ground meat and even green chilis. Many different varieties.

Garnishes ranging from green onions, sour cream, tortilla chips, shredded cheese and corn chips were also available so you could add on to your chili the way you like it.

Some teams served both Chili and Gumbo. There were some really good gumbos to choose from; Chicken and sausage, dark rouxs, light rouxs, just chicken, chicken and smoked meat and so much more.

  

I was very impressed by the organization of the event.  A family friendly event with live music, fun jumps and chili and gumbo galore!  And all free!!!!!

  

Each judge was given a certain amount of time to try and rate each Chili and Gumbo. Once we were done we had to turn in our clipboard and judging sheets.

I had the wonderful opportunity to judge the event with some local personalities in their own right. So fun.

At the end of the event we had the pleasure of handing out the awards during the award ceremony.

The awards were so cool. They were gumbo spoons made out of wood. A great idea.

One of the booths had hot chocolate. A good idea because the weather was cool that day.

The hot chocolate was a hit with baby girl. She gave it a thumbs up!

I loved seeing the teamwork. The teams worked well together to serve.

The environment was family friendly. The Live Music was a nice touch. They were really good and entertaining. My entire family came to the event and they had a blast.

  

By the end of the night the kiddos were worn out from running around, playing on the fun jumps and the good food. A fun afternoon that was well spent.

Thanks again to The Bayou Church for having us. We had a blast!

Hosting a food event and you are looking for a judge? Contact me at [email protected]

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