Chili Teams

Food Safety and Sanitation Requirements

Food must be from an approved source and prepared in a health approved food premises. ON SITE FOOD HANDLING IS RESTRICTED TO HOT HOLDING AND /OR COLD HOLDING OF "PRECOOKED" AND "READY TO EAT" FOODS ONLY!
Chili must be cooled to 200C with 2 hours, then to 40C within another 4 hours. Temperature monitoring records must be kept.
Food and equipment must be transported and served in a manner to prevent contamination. Store food in covered containers, packaging or display enclosures. Store food at least 15 cm (6 inches) off the floor. Condiments must be individually packaged or served from covered containers.
A FOODSAFE certified food handler must be present for cooking/cooling process and on site at event at all times. Food handlers are required to take adequate measures to ensure food is not contaminated by hair.
Liquid soap and paper towel must be used for hand washing. Hand sanitizers and non-latex disposable gloves may be used only in conjunction with proper hand-washing.
Potentially hazardous foods must be kept out of the DANGER ZONE during transportation, storage, display and service. KEEP HOT FOODS HOT AT A MINIMUM OF 600C (1400F). KEEP COLD FOODS COLD AT A MAXIMUM OF 40C (400F).
A probe thermometer must be used to monitor the internal temperatures of all potentially hazardous foods during food preparation, cooling, on arrival at the site and randomly throughout serving. Written records of temperature checks must be kept.
Unless sneeze guards are available, food should be placed towards the back of the display table and served by the food handler. Separate utensils are required for each food item. Utensils must be replaced as often as necessary to prevent contamination of food and microbial growth.
On site utensil washing is not permitted due to contamination and safety issues.
Use sanitized wiping cloths to clean surfaces on a regular basis. A spray bottle of sanitizing solution is recommended (1 teaspoon of bleach to 4 litres of water).
The Fire and Ice Society will assist to provide conformance of the requirements of the authorities having jurisdiction.

The completed application form must be submitted to the Parksville Health Unit, 249 West Hirst Avenue, Parksville, at least 14 days before the event.

Please contact an Environmental Health Officer at (250) 248-2044 if you have any questions.

Download the Chili Team Documentation

This information is available as part of the complete Chili Team Documentation Package (pdf) for your convenience.

Guidelines & Information for Chili Teams

Costumes/Decoration

The emphasis is on FUN AND ENJOYMENT, so we strongly encourage you to dress up in costume and decorate your booth.

Quantity

You must prepare 75 litres (20 gallons) of chili as minimum. Due to the large number of people attending and our desire to serve a taste of chili to everyone, we will provide each team with two mandatory 2 oz. ladles for serving samples of chili. Please remember this is only a "taste", so serve only one level scoop per serving-this will reduce the amount of chili required, increase speed of delivery and, hopefully, your chili will last until the end of the competition.

Safety

Please ensure you have a first-aid kit at your booth.

Please be aware that all chili must be kept at 60˚ and should be tested with a stem thermometer.

Additional safety instructions are found on the Food Safety and Sanitation Requirements page of this document.

Judging

To ensure fair judging, a letter of the alphabet will be allocated to each team. Compostable cups with lids marked with each team's letter will be provided. Please put one ladle of chili in each cup and take all the cups to the judges' table just before 11:00 a.m. The table will be located in front of the town hall on Primrose. You cannot be judged if you do not provide these samples.

Ballot boxes will be provided for each team's table so that the public can vote for their favorite chili. Make sure that the box is accessible and encourage people to vote (make sure that they use your team's booth number when voting). If your ballot box has not been collected before you close down, please take it to the Welcome Centre located at the Seniors' Activity Centre below Qualicum Foods.

The four awards categories for chili teams are:

Judges Choice
Best Amateur
People's Choice
Best Presentation

Cup Sales

Chili cups can only be purchased at the "Chili Cup Sales Tables" located throughout the Town.

Awards Ceremony

The Awards Ceremony and Reception will be held at the Qualicum Beach Community Centre located at 644 Memorial Avenue at 4:00 p.m. Refreshments will be provided and we would love to see your team there.

Booth Location

Before the day of the festival, we will inform you of your booth location. You will also receive your Temporary Food Booth Permit issued by VIHA, which must be attached to your booth.