he Sarasota Firefighter’s Benevolent Fund will host the 19th Annual Morton’s Firehouse Chili Cook-Off, which will be held onSunday October 14th, 2018 from 2pm-5pm. The event will be held on Osprey Avenue between Hyde park street and Hillview Avenue in Sarasota.
14 Fire Houses including firehouses from Englewood, North Port, Port Charlotte and Boca Grande and this year for the second time the Sarasota County Sheriff’s office and the Sarasota Police department will each have a team and all will compete for the title of the “Best Fire House Chili in Sarasota” and for the Best Booth.
This year 100 Chili cook-Off Tasting tickets and a Budweiser beer voucher will be provided to area Teachers, Nurses, Active Duty Military and veterans, Police and Firefighters. This will be a first come first serve basis and must provide proper credentials. Super Bowl Champion and Celebrity Judge David Baas and other supporters donated the funds to provide the tickets to show appreciation to our community Heroes.
Every year all monies raised are donated to the Sarasota Fireman’s benevolent fund, which is a 501-3c non-profit organization. A panel of Celebrity Judges will be on hand to determine the winner.
Confirmed judges for this great event include: .
Steve Christie: Retired all pro NFL kicker with the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers, Giants, jaguars
Tripp Schwenk: Team USA Olympic Gold & Silver Medal Swimmer
Mark Royals: 15 yr. NFL Punter Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dolphins, Steelers, Jaguars
David Baas: NFL Center San Francisco 49ers and was a member of the New York Giants' Super Bowl XLVI championship team
Greg Pitts: Actor best known for his roles in Office Space, Coyote Ugly, and Grey’s Anatomy
92.1 CTQ Morning Show Maverick & Lulu
WWSB ABC 7 Anchor Bob Harrigan
Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight
Sarasota County Fire Chief Mike Reginer
Richard Collins Director of Emergency Services at Sarasota County
Retired FDNY Lt. Mike Dolan
John Hokanson professional Sonny’s BBQ Pitmaster
Jon F. Swift Chief Executive Officer of Jon F.Swift Construction
For a $10-dollar ticket, the public will be able to taste all of the Fire House Chili. There will be Live Music performed by local band “The Daisy Dukes”, Land Shark, and Budweiser stations , food booths, educational booths, and Much More.
The SFFBF assists Sarasota County Fire fighters and their families during times of crisis. We also extend our helping hand to other Fire fighters around Florida and to members of our local community. The SFFBF also provides additional training opportunities to our local Fire fighters with the help of other Fire Department organizations.
The SFFBF is comprised of local fire fighters and paramedics. We are managed and operated completely by volunteers. We fund our services by accepting donations as well as holding events and fund raisers. Outside of minimal operating expenses, all proceeds and donations go to charity.
The public can buy advanced tickets at Morton’s Gourmet Market (1924 South Osprey ave, Sarasota) and for more information; they can call 955-9856