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To Bean or Not to Bean?

CIA Students Spice it Up at the 34th Annual Chili Cook-Off

Annie B. Milostan ’25 Baking and Pastry Arts Major

The 34th annual Chili Cook-Off at the Culinary Institute of America kicked off on October 20 with 12 amazing teams. With this being unofficial parents’ weekend we had so many families and friends on campus which just makes this event so much better. I personally love all our cook- and bake-offs—getting to see not only students but also faculty, family, and friends coming to support the students always makes my day, and I know it makes the event even more special!

At 3:30 p.m. the winners were announced, our first-place winners were the MRE Chefs, they are a part of our Student Veterans Association, and their winning chili was an elevated chili mac MRE and it was truly tasty and a crowd pleaser! MRE is a self-contained meal designed for individuals to sustain themselves during military operations or training when other food is unavailable. The team wanted to showcase the meals they used to get in the military on deployment, field training, etc. I am so excited to see what the teams have in store for next year’s Chili Cook-Off. I got to go around to chat with guests, chefs, and students and asked them “Chili is not chili without what?”

Chili Cook-Off TikTok