Darien Nature Center Cooked up Tasty Evening with Chili Challenge

Jimmy’s Southside of Darien takes top prize as “Tastiest Chili”

On Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 the Darien Nature Center hosted its second annual Chili Challenge, an exciting event in which 11 local restaurants vied for the title of “Best Chili.”

More than 250 residents turned out to taste unique recipes from a host of chefs from Bodega, Burgers Shakes & Fries, Darien Social, The Goose, Jimmy’s Southside, Meatball and Co., Michael Joseph’s, Rory’s, Rowayton Market, Station Eats, and Ten Twenty Post.

The winner of the Chili Challenge was selected by a panel of judges including chef and author Pam Anderson, Stamford Advocate restaurant reviewer Melanie Barnard, and chef Megan Palmer Rivera of Palmer’s Market.

Entrants were judged on three criteria: appearance, aroma and flavor. The winner of the 2014 Chili Challenge was Jimmy’s Southside. Rory’s received the “Runner Up” award, and Station Eats was voted in as “Fan Favorite”.

The Darien Nature Center, located in Cherry Lawn Park, was founded in the late 1970s with the mission of providing educational programs in ecology, conservation and natural sciences.

Housed in a state of the art building and surrounded by beautiful walking trails, the Darien Nature Center serves Fairfield County children through educational enrichment and summer programs.

The organization and its members serve as stewards of the natural surroundings of our community situated on Long Island Sound and seek daily to fulfill our mission of educating our community on the importance of preserving our natural environment.

All proceeds from this year’s Chili Challenge will directly benefit the Darien Nature Center. For further information contact the Elizabeth Hearle at the Darien Nature Center at 203-655-7459.