Rehoboth VFW second annual chili cook off a success
Rehoboth VFW Post 7447 was full of patrons sampling 15 different chili recipes and helping select a winner Oct. 23. The chili cook off event was a fundraiser for the post. Score sheets were available as everyone tasted chili for 50 cents a taste and rated them. The unidentified creators anxiously awaited the results.
Once patrons found a chili they liked, they could buy a small bowl for $1 or a larger bowl for $2. Considering the location of the post, it was no surprise that the landslide winner was Delaware Bay Crab Chili, created by Punch Franklin. He won $100, was crowned the 2015 Pepperhead and has bragging rights for the coming year.
Second place went Tammy Franklin with Sweet Heat, and third place went to Shakespearean Chili - To Bean or Not To Bean, created by the Sobun Krew. Runner-up Easy Chili was prepared by Gladys Wise. Other chili names were creative too, like Phillies Cheesesteak Chili, Rocky Roadkill, Moo Moo Chili, Dark Matters, Basic Instinct, Kitchen Sink, Tender Mercy and Crazy Pepper Turkey Chili.
Before the chili tasting was complete, there was music and karaoke, which continued after the winners were announced. One of the night's surprises was 91-year-old Ernie Marvel, a veteran from Frankford, singing "Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On." He's a longtime VFW member, having joined Post 7234 May 12, 1946. Marvel served in the Army in the European Theater during World War II.
Young and old alike enjoy the Rehoboth VFW on Friday evenings. Veterans and their families of all ages mix and mingle and enjoy camaraderie, even in the off-season.
