UHD’s Employment Services & Operations (ESO) will once again sponsor the annual UHD Chili Cook-Off. A family-friendly event, the Cook-Off is open to the entire UHD community with plenty of chili, delicious desserts, a live DJ, jumbo games, giveaways, face painting, line dancing, an amazing skyline view, ​​​and more! Join in the fun and tasting from 4 to 7 p.m., Friday, April 28, on the South Deck. 

Attendees will vote for Best Décor and People's Choice Chili, while a panel of illustrious judges will award one hard-cooking team the title of Best Chili 2023.

Complimentary beer for the 21+ crowd will be provided by Saint Arnold ​Brewing Company beginning at 4 p.m. (Limit three beers per guest.)

Tic​​kets

Complimentary tasting tickets are available online for UHD employees until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 24, and include a chili tasting kit, a soft drink, and a dessert.​

Forming a Chili-Cooking Team

Sure, attending the Cook-Off is delicious fun, but even more fun is putting together a chili-cooking team to show off your Top Chef–worthy cooking prowess and win the coveted title of Best Chili 2023! 

All UHD community members are eligible to register a team—see important notes below. An optional interest meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 11, if you want to learn more about creating your own chili-cooking team.

Before You Register​

• Team Requirements
  • Chili-cooking teams must have a minimum of five members. Teams may include more than five members, but the majority of team members must be UHD students, faculty, staff, alumni, or affiliated partners of the University.
     
  • UHD Food Safety Protocols have been updated and require each team to have at least one member to hold a Food Handler Certificate.​ Nominal fees are associated with obtaining these training certificates (options below), which are paid directly to the training provider (not UHD) and are at the expense of the applicant/organization.
    • $8.99 - ANAB Accredited Food Handlers Certificate & Training | 360training 
    • $11.89 - Food Handler Certification | Houston Health Department (houstonconsumer.org)
    • $15 - Food Handler Certification | ServSafe® 
       
  • Registered teams will receive a $50 H-E-B gift card for chili ingredients. All additional costs are the responsibility of the cooking team.
     
  • All chili-cooking team members must agree to abide by the event guidelines, which can be found in the registration packet provided at signup.
     
• Registration 
  • ESO has reduced this year’s registration fee from $25 to $15 since all teams must now contain at least one member with a valid Texas food handler’s certificate. 
     
  • To register a chili-cooking team, you must: 
    • Submit a completed UHD 2023 Chili Cook-Off Application for the team and pay the non-refundable registration fee of $15 by 5 p.m.  Monday, April 17, to Gladis Moya in One Main Building, OMB S910.​
    • Designate a team captain to attend a mandatory, in-person team meeting  from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25.
    • Obtain a valid food handler's certificate no later than the beginning of cooking on the day of the 2023 UHD Chili Cook-Off (more details will be available in the registration packet). 

Chili-Cooking Team Guidelines

• The Chili Cook-Off setup will start at 8:30 a.m. on April 28.
• Teams will be allowed to bring BEER only, NO liquor or wine.
• Those 21 and over who choose to consume beer must obtain a wristband from the Chili Cook-Off Hospitality Tent.
• Beer must be consumed within the South Deck. Individuals cannot walk outside the immediate event grounds with beer.
• The following WILL NOT BE PERMITTED: glass bottles, kegs, drinking games, binge drinking, or devices intended to accelerate the consumption of alcohol.
• All team members must be respectful of other participants, being particularly mindful of teams set up adjacent to your team’s space.
• Music that is extremely loud or contains profane, explicit, or inappropriate lyrics will NOT be permitted.

Contest and Judging

Chili may win one of three awards:

• Best Chili
• People’s Choice Award
• Best Décor

The panel of illustrious guest judges will begin tasting chili at 3:30 p.m. to determine Best Chili. Event attendees may vote on Best Décor and People's Choice Chili from 4 to 6 p.m.

UHD Employee Event Guidelines

For details about how to log time spent working at the Cook-Off, visit ESO’s website or contact Gladis Moya.

Best of luck to all teams! Those not joining a team, come out and support your Gator chefs!

Photo credit: HandmadePictures/ iStock