Cooking chili is a labor of love, according to Jason Blevins, a competitor at the Louisiana State and Regional Chili Cook-Off.
The International Chili Society will host “Chili for Children,” its sixth annual chili cook-off on campus Saturday and Sunday. The event will be held in front of Parker Coliseum in conjunction with the annual Spring Garden Show and the Baton Rouge Spring Car show.
Local and national cooks will compete for up to $30,000 as they blend ingredients for red chili, chili verde and salsa. Spectators can participate in the festivities by purchasing chili for $1.
Those who buy at least five samples of chili can vote in the People’s Choice category. Competitors have until 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday to enter in either the regional or the state competition.
Blevins, who worked for the LSU Alumni Association, is on the Bayou Brothers team with his twin brother, Eric Blevins.
The duo entered the cook-off for the first time last year and won the title of “People’s Choice.” Blevins said it’s rare to place on the first try, as it usually takes participants three or four times to win a title.
Because this year’s cook-off includes national participants, Blevins said placing in the competition would mean even more.
“I like the level of competition. It is definitely higher,” Blevins said.
Blevins said he enjoys the camaraderie with other chefs at the cook-off. He loves cooking, and cooking chili was something he discovered on his own.
“I definitely got inspired cooking by my mother at a young age,” Blevins said. “I found out about the cook-off by Knights of Columbus.”
The Bayou Brothers have a special way they cook their chili that Blevins hopes will set them apart.
“We use a lot of special ingredients. We use special, high-quality beef,” Blevins said. “It’s a long process. You can’t rush it.”
Event chairman Eric R. Miller said holding the cook-off on campus makes the event more visible to the community.
“We got a lot going on on campus. A lot of folks come out,” Miller said. “There are more local people competing than in the past from Gonzales, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.”
Miller said the proceeds from the cook-off are donated to Our Lady of the Lake, which has been the primary recipient for the past three years.
Melissa Anderson, University alumna and community relations director for Our Lady of the Lake Foundation, said she is grateful to the chili cook-off for helping the children’s hospital.
“It’s a wonderful effort,” Anderson said. “Everything I tasted [at past cook-offs] was good. It’s a great way to get fed and support the children.”
Community support provides funds for equipment and staff training.
“The bulk of the proceeds are used to buy life-saving equipment and provides life-saving care for kids,” Anderson said.
 
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Contact Raylea Barrow at [email protected]