MVUMC 8th Annual Chili Cook-off

There comes a time in the life of the church that people just need to get together and have a little fun. On Saturday, February 8, Moreno Valley United Methodist Church (MVUMC) provided an evening of entertainment and food for all members. Sissy Slater, originally from Texas, started this event back in 2006. Participants were asked to prepare their favorite chili recipe and bring it to the church by 3 p.m. on the day of the event with judging to start promptly at 4 p.m. The competition was fierce! “The chili is getting better year after year. There was not a bad one in the bunch. They were all good,” stated Julius Signars, lead judge. As an added twist this year, everyone who came was encouraged to decorate their tables. They were judged by Tim Lawler, resident youth leader for MVUMC. “This is so hard to do, everyone has such a different theme,” stated Lawler. And the chili winners were: 1st Place – Sissy Slater 2nd Place – Leanora Melendez 3rd Place – Siosaia Faiva Fun Category Winners were: Most Unusual – Beverly Rounsaville for Black Bean Veggie Chili Wimpiest – Beverly Rounsaville for Black Bean Veggie Chili Hottest – Leanora Melendez Table Decoration winners were: 1st – Deanna Fifita – Island Theme (of course, the decorations were food) 2nd – Taylor Kelly and Sissy Slater – Chili Willie and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers 3rd – Amando Jo Mitchell and Laurann Estevez – Cookies and Cows (Milk) This event was totally free. Donations were taken to “bribe the judges” which were donated to the youth program to help send kids to camp this coming summer. The cost for each youth attending camp is $395 so every “bribe” helps. “This is so much fun, I can’t wait to come back!” said Taylor Kelly, a visitor for the first time. Coming June 7, 2014 the church will be having an annual dinner theater. This year it will be a USO “Bob Hope” 1940’s theme, so bring your swing and come on out. For information, call the church at 951-924-6990.