The annual Roosevelt Chili Cook-Off is this Sunday, October 7, and Seniors Neha Patkar and Anya Ahuja will be participating.

This will be the 22nd cook off hosted at Roosevelt elementary school to support the school and cover various costs of the contest. Families will help judge which chili has the most original name, the best presentation, the spiciest flavor, and which is the tastiest. There are 16 groups of contestants each year who compete against each other, including both parents and students.

Patkar, a senior at BHS, and Ahuja, a senior at middle college, began participating in the contest last year.

“My first year making the chili was last year but my parents have done it every year since 2007,” Patkar said.

When she attended Roosevelt, Patkar’s parents began participating in the Chili Cook-Off after they realized that there was no vegetarian chili. After 10 years, they “passed the torch” to Patkar and Ahuja.

“It was a huge part of my elementary school experience at Roosevelt and it was a huge deal as a kid both because it was a huge fundraiser and because it was so much fun,” Patkar said. “Now I enjoy it because I can help support Roosevelt and I get to see all of my old teachers.”