Pictured left to right, Patricia Maurer, Jody Sullivan, Ronda Feucht and Marie Geisler pose with their prizes. Sullivan, Feucht and Geisler tied for second and third place, earning $50 each.
Attendees at the American Legion Post 63 Chili Cook-Off enjoyed socializing and sampling the nine chili entries.
Auctioneer Rip Grubaugh calling ticket numbers for door prizes. Winners received donated prizes.
American Legion Post 63 Commander Edward Klassen announces the winners for the Chili Cook-off. Klassen has spearheaded the event since 2017.
Heidi Klassen selling tickets. Klassen served 20 years in the Navy.
SWAN VALLEY - Patricia Maurer took home the coveted title of Chili Champ for the second year in a row in the American Legion Post 63 31st Annual Condon Chili Cook-Off June 4. Three additional chili contenders tied for second and third place out of nine chili entries.
Second and third place winners Marie Geisler, Jody Sullivan and Ronda Feucht each won $50, while Maurer claimed $150. Along with judging the chili, attendees were eligible for door prizes, participated in the 50/50 drawing and enjoyed a live auction led by Auctioneer Rip Grubaugh.
Maurer, who is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and lives in the Swan Valley six months of the year, said she's honored to earn the title of Chili Champ again.
"I feel really happy about it," Maurer said. "But I want to win fair and square and hope people like the taste of my chili. Everybody has their own style."
Maurer's style includes a mix of different chili flavors, four different types of beans and venison from her husband's hunting trips. For flavor, Maurer includes smokey and dried pepper, Hatch chiles from New Mexico, jalapeños and even green pepper to add a little bit of sweetness to the chili. She said she likes to keep her chili lean and healthy, not greasy.
"I like a little spice, but not too hot," Maurer said. "People can add a little more if they like it. But just the blend gives it the depth of flavor."
Sullivan, a seasonal to the Swan Valley, did not divulge much about the ingredients of her chili but did say she substituted ground beef for ground turkey. Sullivan said she started making the dish on Super Bowl Sunday for her husband and his friends and has continued the tradition since.
The cook-off is a major fundraiser for Swan Valley's American Legion, a nonprofit that provides assistance and guidance for veterans, their families and their communities. Current Post 63 Commander Edward Klassen, who worked in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, said the cook-off is about giving back to those who served.
The funds raised from the cook-off will be allocated towards helping local veterans, events on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July parade.
"The majority of Montana knows a veteran, lives with a veteran or takes care of a veteran," Klassen said. "So we try to do the same."
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