Come Out St. Pete Hosts Chili Cook-Off In Grand Central District

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Come Out St. Pete launches its inaugural Chili Cook-Off Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the side street next to Studio Public House, 2950 Central Ave.

For more than a decade, the event has been a staple in the area, hosted by the Grand Central District. The organization handed it over to Come Out St. Pete in 2019.

“And then COVID hit,” Bill Kody, co-chair of this year’s event, told Patch. So, we never had the chance to do it. This is our first year.”

The event features 10 chili vendors; a chili cook-off contest including the vendors and other competitors who’ve submitted their dishes; artists. sponsors, and other vendor booths; and live jazz music and a beer garden at the Studio Public House. The 2024 Come As You Are Court will also attend.

While the event is free to attend, voting costs $10 per person. All funds will benefit Come Out St. Pete’s scholarship fund, a partnership with St. Petersburg College that launched two years ago.

In addition to raising awareness of and advocating for the local LGBTQ+ community, the goal of the event is also to promote the businesses in the Grand Central District, where St. Pete Pride launched more than two decades ago.

“Come Out St. Pete started in the Grand Central District because St. Pete Pride started in the Grand Central District,” Chris Jones, event co-chair, told Patch. “Grand Central is basically the ‘gayborhood.’ We wanted to be sure that since it started in Grand Central that we stay in Grand Central and support the businesses that support us.”