The aroma of meat, peppers and spices will waft through Civic Center Park on Saturday, which can only mean one thing — it’s time for the annual Kings County Special Olympics Chili Cook-off.

This year 25 teams have signed up to compete in the 30th annual event on Saturday, the single fundraiser for Kings County Special Olympics.

Jeanne Atkins coordinates the event for the Kings County Office of Education and expects this year’s cook-off to be better than ever.

“It’s a way for us to let our community know that Special Olympics is indeed active in Kings County,” she said.

There are numerous teams that compete year after year, like Michele Di Muro and the Allstate Good Hands Chili team.

Michele and her husband, Joe, have participated in chili cook-offs throughout the Valley since 1980.

Last year they won the second place award for “Best Chili” with a recipe that Michele said is “borderline spicy.”

This year the Di Muros will incorporate a few ingredients they’ve grown in their own garden into their recipe.

“We have homegrown spices that will go into it and our homegrown tomatoes,” she said.

The chefs will begin preparing their chili at 10:15 a.m. following the opening ceremonies. They must cook all ingredients onsite and have until 1:30 p.m. to deliver a 2-quart pot of chili to the judges.

The official rules and regulations stipulate that the competitors’ chili can contain a combination of ingredients with the exception of beans and pasta, which are strictly forbidden.

Hanford resident Richard Gonzales competed with his wife, Jennifer, and other members of their family last year, and won first place for “Best Chili.”

He attributes it to the fact that they did a “mini chili-cookoff” in their own kitchen before the competition to get the spices just right.

His team, Gonzo’s Chili, will cook again this year from a restored ice cream truck he calls the “roach coach.”

“We have to defend our title this year,” he said.

Several of the teams will have chili for sale to the public, which will also benefit Kings County Special Olympics.

This year the carousel in Courthouse Square will be operating throughout the cook-off due to the generosity of two of the cook-off’s competitors.

Leonard Murphy and Eddie Mederros are competing with the team “Kings County Shop Guys” and donated their time to repair the carousel so it will be ready for the event.

As a reward for their generosity, all of the proceeds from the carousel rides sold on Saturday will be donated to Kings County Special Olympics on behalf of their team.

All of the proceeds from the event help the athletes cover the costs of travel to and from events and the equipment costs for all of the sporting events that include bowling, floor hockey, basketball, golf and track and field.

The Kings County floor hockey team has held the title as best in state for eight years and may be able to do so in the future with the help of proceeds from the Chili Cook-off.

“We’ve been blessed by the support of this fantastic community to keep Special Olympics Kings County funded so athletes may continue to participate in a variety of sports,” Atkins said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2427.

Type of cuisine:  Mainly American

Do they do takeout?:  Yes

Do they accept credit cards?:  Yes

Do they offer delivery?:  No

And the average cost, or the cost of something popular on the menu:  Expect to pay around $9 per person (incl. beverage) for the breakfasts mentioned. 

What: 30th Annual Chili Cook-off

Where: Civic Center Park in Hanford

When: SaturdaySept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

More information: Call Jeanne Atkins at 584-1441