That birthday party evolved into a full-blown farm celebration, with around 50 people I had never met before. It was the birth of what would become our annual farm party tradition. A couple of years in, we decided to add a chili cook-off to the mix, and just like that, the party of the year was born.
Over the years, the date has shifted, and we’ve missed a few parties due to life events like childbirths and global pandemics. But each year we’ve held the party, it’s grown, improved, and become even more fun.
Let me tell you about this incredible event.
Go ahead and head to this link for the location, event details, information if you’d like to enter a chili, and directions to the farm:
https://mailchi.mp/lnsartisanmeats/ls-artisan-meats-chili-cookoff-and-farm-party-2024
Para español haga clic aquí:
https://mailchi.mp/a618f478e743/concurso-de-chili-y-fiesta-en-la-granja
We’re always looking for more space, and this year, we’ve finally expanded by borrowing a pasture from the pigs. We’ve cleaned it up, flattened it out, and created a beautiful open space for the event.
We’re expecting (hoping for) around 25 chili entries this year. Last year, we had 22 chilis, which filled 450 tasting cups.
Guests devoured over 22 pounds of pulled chicken, 28 pounds of beef sliders, and more than 90 bratwursts. Of course, we’re aiming to outdo ourselves this year! The menu will feature bratwursts again, along with our new weisswurst sausages (a trial run for our Oktoberfest celebrations). We’ll also be serving smoked ribs and thin-sliced smoked pork sandwiches.
This year, we’re excited to offer some special products that aren’t usually available. We’ll have fresh, deli-thin sliced mortadella, ham, and smoked pork for purchase. Don’t miss out on these exclusive treats!
As always, Chuck will be there with his famous “lemmingaid,” with proceeds benefiting the Place of Hope, a local food kitchen that provides meals and clinic services to Cotacachi’s elderly and special needs residents. Athena Homebrew will be on hand with their artisanal beers, and for the pilsner lovers, we’ll have those too! Plus, we’ll offer sodas, water, and wine.
So, how does it all work?
Your $5.00 ticket includes a bowl for chili tasting. Trust me, you won’t leave hungry! Tasting the different chilis, comparing notes with friends, and rooting for your favorite is a blast. Your ticket also gets you an entry into our raffle drawings. We have five great baskets full of goodies up for grabs, and our master of ceremonies, Joel, will be randomly raffling off L&S products throughout the afternoon.
Here’s the timeline for the day:
- 11:30 AM – Farm opens to visitors. Drinks and food available for purchase.
- 12:00 PM – Early bird raffle drawing (must be present to win).
- 12:30 PM – Chili tasting begins.
- 1:00 PM – Raffle drawing (do not need to be present to win).
- 2:00 PM – Raffle drawing (do not need to be present to win).
- 3:00 PM – Raffle drawing (do not need to be present to win).
- 3:30 PM – Chili tasting ends.
- 4:00 PM – Winners of the 2024 Chili Cookoff announced.
- 4:45 PM – Last call for food and drinks.
- 5:00 PM – Farm closes.
We’ve already received RSVPs from Cotacachi, our supportive hometown. We’ve also got folks coming from Quito and Baños, some of our most loyal attendees over the years. We’re hoping to see some friends from the coast as well.
We’ve always been fortunate to have an incredible “village” of supportive friends who generously volunteer their time to help with the event. While we’ll miss some of them this year due to their travels, our amazing employees are ready to step up and fill the gap.
We can’t wait to see you on the farm! If you’d like to RSVP (which really helps with planning) or enter a chili in the contest, you can message us at 098 058 7940 or email us at [email protected]. All of our L&S employees can get you tickets, which are also available at the Cotacachi Farmers Market at the L&S booth.
This year will be our first cookoff without Inti manning the grills. In his honor, we’re introducing a special “Employee’s Choice” chili award, voted on by our incredible team.
