OFFICIAL TOLBERT QUALIFYING EVENT
Chili Jam 4
April 12, 2025
There's Chili in the Desert
🎥 A Short Film from the Original Terlingua International Championship Chili Cookoff 2024
🎸 Featuring the hit song "Roadrunner" by country music artist Kaitlin Butts
⭐️ Starring your favorite chili-heads and the Chihuahuan Desert
📷 Directed by Erik & Laurie McCowan
We began shooting a documentary on the Tolbert cook-offs in October 2023 at the Ladies State Chili Championship of Texas. Since then, we have followed cooks to various qualifying events from Corsicana to Luling, Maxdale to Martindale, to understand why chili competitions are such an important part of certain people's lives.
We've made a few short film profiles on these small cook-offs over the past year, and we decided that we shouldn't wait until we finish the feature film to show how much fun we had while filming in Terlingua, so here's a little taste of what we have been capturing, and a recap of the 57th annual edition of the world chili championship.
Congratulations to
Carl Angers
Chili Jam 3 Chili Champion
Chili Jam 2
Chili Jam 2 Champion
Jacki Dale
Inaugural
Chili Jam Champion
Ron Faulstich
If you've never been to a Tolbert cook-off, watch these shorts (produced by Snake Prairie!) to learn more.
CHILI JAM RULES
• All chili will conform to Tolbert specifications and all rules governing OTICCC chili will apply. See complete rules HERE.
1. Chili must be cooked onsite the day of the cook-off from scratch. "Scratch" means starting with raw meat and spices. Commercial chili powder is permissible, but complete commercial chili mixes (such as Wick Fowler 2-Alarm Chili Mix) are NOT permitted. 2. Chili must be prepared out in the open in as sanitary a manner as possible. 3. No beans, pasta, rice, whole peppers, large pieces of vegetables, inedible objects, etc. are allowed. 4. The head cook must prepare the chili to be judged.
• Margarita entries will be judged on taste. All entries will use cups provided by Chili Jam. Entries must be made onsite.
• Eggs for the deviled eggs competition must be brought by contestants and can be pre-cooked at home, but contestants must devil the eggs onsite. 12 halves will be submitted by each contestant. Entries will be judged on taste and presentation (classic presentation you'd see at a dinner table, not a beauty contest). Contestants need to bring their recipes and ingredients to prepare the eggs onsite.
• Overnight guests are welcome, plenty of room for tents and RVs. No hookups. Camping setup will be available starting Friday at noon. Please take your trash home with you. We do not have city trash pick-up out here in the country, so consider your trash as your home trash and take it with you.
• No dogs, no pets. This is a working farm. Our hens appreciate being left alone. People attempting to sneak in a pet will be asked to leave. We don't respect people who take advantage of those with real disabilities who need bonafide service dogs.
PRAIRIE RULES
• NO PETS OR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS ARE ALLOWED INSIDE THE EVENT AT ANYTIME.
NO EXCEPTIONS.
Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs are not service animals according to the ADA. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not considered service animals.
Specifically trained SERVICE ANIMALS are always welcome. It is a crime to represent your pet as a service animal when specific training has not been provided.
• Kids are always welcome, but keep them with your party. They are not allowed to wander or chase livestock. They are not allowed to destroy private property. Parents with unruly children will be asked to leave.
• No alcohol will be consumed by anyone under the age of 21 under any circumstance.
• Primitive camping is allowed. Self-contained RVs are welcome. No hookups available. We have some good spots, and the early bird gets top pick. Pets are not allowed to stay in RVs.
• Please take home any trash that you bring in.
• Glass bottles are discouraged, but allowed. Please take them home with you.
• Plenty of parking for bikes.
• Snake Prairie is not responsible for accidents. Please be safe, be nice, and enjoy yourself.
• Chili Jam is located on a historical farmstead and is an agritourism entity. While we make every attempt to ensure the safety of our attendees, hazards may exist on the property. Protective shoes are strongly recommended. Attendees are not permitted to be barefooted on festival grounds.
• Any additional rules are at the discretion of the venue owners. Their decisions are final.
Country Chick Farms/Snake Prairie is an agritourism entity. An agritourism entity is not liable for any injury to or death of an agritourism participant resulting from agritourism activities. Individuals who elect to attend the event understand that they accept any and all risk of injury, death, property damage, and/or other losses that may result from agritourism activities.
WARNING: UNDER TEXAS LAW (CHAPTER 75A, CIVIL PRACTICE AND REMEDIES CODE), AN AGRITOURISM ENTITY IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INJURY TO OR DEATH OF AN AGRITOURISM PARTICIPANT RESULTING FROM AN AGRITOURISM ACTIVITY.