- May 2, 2024
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Chris Walsh of the Ormond Beach Police Department, with his wife, Jessica, and son, Christian, 6, holds up the Judges' Choice Award at the Guns & Hose Chili Challenge at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler County Fire Rescue's booth manned by Rob Errett, Division Chief Gil Aspinwall and Alex Patton. their chili won the Fan Favorite Award. Their chili was made with ground beef, smoked chuck roast and three kinds of beans. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Rob Errett of Flagler County Rescue holds up the 2024 Fan Favorite Award. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Guns & Hoses Chili Challenge judges (from left) Travis Sundell of SunBros Cafe; Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord; Leigh Anne Sundell of SunBros Cafe; Mark Woods of Fun Coast Bartending; and Chris Marlow, owner of The Golden Lion Cafe and Next Door Beach Bistro. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler County Sheriff's Office Motor Unit Deputies Greg Nunziato and Matt Mortimer with Nunziato's life partner Dyan Cole. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Beach Fire Department's Bobby Pace, Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney and Amy Lukasik. They served up two chilies. The recipe for the chicken white chili came from City Clerk Penny Overstreet. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Lori Ottlein, Candy Taylor and Patti Powell of the Turtle Patrol with rescue bloodhound Ruby. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Surf 97.3 DJ "Ramblin" Russ Hatfield calls attendees over to the chili booth he shares with fellow DJ "Hod Rod" Eddie Caisse. Hatfield and Caisse are retired first responders. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Surf 97.3 DJ's "Hod Rod" Ed Caisse and "Ramblin" Russ Hatfield play oldies on the radio and serve up their special recipe at the Guns & Hoses Chili Challenge. Caisse is a retired firefighter in Connecticut and Hatfield is a retired policeman in the NYPD. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Linda McCann, a retired domestic violence responder and EMT, won the Judges' Choice Award in 2020 and 2023. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Chuck Kovalcik, Donna Fantana, Flagler Beach Commissioner Jane Mealy and Rosie. Fontana and Mealy are members of the Flagler Woman's Club. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit Sgt. Robert Tarczewski and Deputy Robin Towns and FCSO Commander Scott Vedder. The secret to their chili, they said, is teamwork. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Bunnell Police Department Detective Sgt. Shane Groth and Chief David Brannon dole out chili for attendees. Their white chicken chili placed third in Fan Favorite competition and their red chili placed second for the Judges' Choice Award. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Tom Coleman and Fred Gleissner, members of the FDNY Central Florida Retirees, won the Fan Favorite Award in 2020 and were the fans' runner-up this year. "We start off with sweet red peppers, then the heat comes from the jalapenos," Coleman said. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Linda McCann, the 2020 and 2023 Judges' Choice winner, provides her recipe for all the attendees to see. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Christopher Walsh of the Ormond Beach Police Department with his son, Christian. Walsh won the Judges' Choice Award. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Deputy Robin Towns of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit serves up some chili. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Karin Farrell of the Flagler Woman's Club and her son, Jordan Farrell, broker of the Florida Beaches Real Estate Co., which helped sponsor the event. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mary Louk of the Flagler Woman's thanks all the first responders and community members for participating in the fifth annual Guns & Hoses Chili Challenge. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Karin Farrell tabulates the results. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Donna Fantana liked the Flagler County Fire Rescue’s chili the best. She was not the only one. The Fire Rescue team’s entry was the Fan Favorite at the fifth annual Guns & Hoses Chili Challenge.
Christopher Walsh won the Judges’ Choice Award in the first responders’ culinary competition presented by the Flagler Woman’s Club on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach.
“I liked the texture and the kick. It was delicious,” Fantana said. Community paramedic Rob Errett, who served up the Flagler County Fire Rescue’s chili with Gil Aspinwall and Alex Patton, said the key is “lots of love.” That and smoked chuck roast along with ground beef and three kinds of beans, he added.
Walsh, representing the Ormond Beach Police Department, was competing in the challenge for the first time. He was accompanied by his wife Jessica and 6-year-old son Christian.
A retired Connecticut state trooper, Walsh said the OBPD is his “retirement job.” Walsh got to take home the Judges’ Choice traveling trophy and a $100 prize.
I liked the texture and the kick. It was delicious.”
— DONNA FANTANA on the Fan Favorite from Flagler County Fire Rescue
The Flagler Woman’s Club created the event as a way to recognize and support local first responders. The Guns & Hoses Chili Challenge was canceled in 2021 and 2022 because of COVID but returned last year.
In addition to the chili and a chance to meet local first responders, the event included music, raffles and a bake sale.
Tasters purchased a wristband and an all-important plastic spoon for $10 for the right to taste the chillies at 12 booths manned by first responders or retired first responders. The chilies were served in small plastic cups with no spoons provided on the tables.
In a blind taste test, the five judges chose Walsh’s chili as their winner. The judges included SunBros Cafe owners Travis and Leigh Anne Sundell; Chris Marlow, owner of the Golden Lion and Next Door Beach Bistro; Mark Woods, owner of Fun Coast Bartending; and Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord.
The judges’ runner-up was the Bunnell Police Department’s entry, which also finished third in the fan voting. Bunnell Police Chief David Brannon and Detective Sgt. Shane Groth said their chili was a secret recipe.
Linda McCann, a retired domestic violence responder and EMT in Burlington County, New Jersey, won the Judges’ Choice award in 2020 and 2023 and put her recipe out in the sunshine. The framed copy of her recipe featuring ground beef and mild Italian sausage sat right next to the Judges’ traveling trophy.
Flagler County Fire Rescue was the judges’ third-place choice.
The FDNY Orlando Central Florida Retirees had the second most votes among the fans. FDNY retirees Tom Coleman and Fred Gleissner of Palm Coast said there are about 100 members of their group in Flagler, Volusia and St. Johns counties. They won the Fan Favorite trophy in 2020 and showed off other awards they have won in other chili contests.
“We start off with sweet red peppers,” Coleman said of their recipe. “Then the heat comes on from the jalapeño peppers.”
Other booths included the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit; the Flagler Beach Police and Fire Department; and Surf 97.3 radio DJs “Hod Rod” Eddie Caisse, a retired firefighter from Connecticut, and Ramblin’ Russ Hatfield, a retired policeman with the New York Police Department.
