The South Side is home to a diverse selection of cuisine, but once a year vendors focus their culinary efforts on chili.
Visitors roamed Bethlehem’s Historic Arts District to try the different twists on a classic fall dish on Oct. 19 for this year’s 28th annual ChiliFest.
Seventeen local restaurants and businesses served homemade chili at the sold-out event, welcoming attendees to walk around East 3rd and 4th Streets from noon to 4 p.m. to try a sample at each location and vote for their favorite.
While most of the sampling areas were outside and accessible to the public, ticketed participants showed their “chili passports” to access the samples at each location. Tickets also included a reusable spoon to reduce waste.
The SouthSide Arts District organized ChiliFest, and downtown manager Erin Zebertavage has been in charge of the event for the past three years.
She and assistant downtown manager Katy Knibbs sat outside the district office signing in festival attendees, passing out passports and spoons, and answering questions about the event.
Zebertavage said ChiliFest is a beloved tradition and brings many repeat attendees, though she also loves seeing new visitors each year.
“Part of our mission is to bring joy to people,” Zebertavage said. “A day like this, and bringing the community together, that brings joy.”
She said despite the competitive spirit of the day, the businesses that participate also enjoy bringing the community together and have made it a tradition to compete each year.
Kelsey Elder, left, and Heidi Martucci pose under their tent Oct. 19 at the 28th annual ChiliFest. The two represented Social Still Distillery at the event, which was organized by the SouthSide Arts District. (Mariel Kavanagh/B&W Staff)
Bethlehem resident Tara Richie decided to attend ChiliFest for the first time this year. She said she was excited to enjoy the event’s atmosphere, a nice day with friends and “obviously, testing out the different flavors.”
The event also drew visitors from further away, such as New Jersey resident Karolyn Farrell, who drove over an hour to attend with her husband and two dogs.
She said they were looking for things to do last year when they found ChiliFest, and they enjoyed their time so much they returned this year.
“We just love the city, and we love chili,” Farrell said.
The event featured a panel of celebrity judges, made up of Tiffany Sondergaard, owner of ts Brand Elevation; Patrick Duffy, a writer for Edible Lehigh Valley; and Jarred Huertas, a writer for Lehigh Valley Food & Travel.
Sondergaard, who works in branding and community engagement, said she has fond childhood memories of cooking chili with her father. She said her connection to the dish made her more appreciative as a judge.
Her company is located in the South Side, and she said all the vendors want to help each other grow their businesses. She said she wanted to join the judging panel to continue the collaborative spirit of the area.
“We often collaborate so I figured ChiliFest was one of the ultimate collaborations,” Sondergaard said.
She said the community and seeing how the day brings people together are the best part of the festival.
In the afternoon, a group of attendees and competitors gathered outside Molly’s Irish Bar & Grill to hear the People’s Choice Award and Judge’s Choice Award winners.
Mister Lee’s Noodles was most popular among festival attendees, while the chili from ZEST bar+grille’s team, led by Sean Rainey, was the judges’ favorite.
Rainey, who became ZEST’s head chef earlier this year, carried on the restaurant’s tradition of competing in ChiliFest. He said the chili he served contained ground beef, sirloin tips and smoked brisket to add more depth and flavor.
“We kept it real standard,” Rainey said. “I made the base out of tomato and chipotle, and then I just stirred everything together and seasoned it with chili powder, fresh herbs and fresh spices.”
Both winners received a glass chili pepper trophy, handmade by local artist Dennis Gardner at ArtsQuest’s Glass Blowing Studio.
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