MEDIA ADVISORY/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: CSU Students Burn Up Taste Buds During Annual Chili Challenge

WHAT: Although cooler temperatures are here for fall, inside a Colorado State University dining hall, CSU students’ lunches will be getting hotter and hotter during the 10th Annual CSU Chili Challenge. During the five-day challenge, CSU students eat a bowl of chili each day that progressively gets hotter. The week-long challenge concludes on Friday with the finalists eating the hottest bowl and a habanero chili to claim victory.

Reporters are invited to cover the final day of the contest. The contest is held each year in conjunction with Poudre Fire Authority as part of Fire Prevention Week.

WHEN and WHERE: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, Corbett Hall Dining Center

DETAILS: CSU students will brave habanero, poblanoe, serrano and annaheim chilis in chili prepared by CSU dining center staff. More than 250 students start the competition; each must finish an 8 ounce bowl of chili that gets increasingly hotter each day. Students who cannot finish the bowl are not able progress to the next day’s challenge. Students who finish all five bowls of chili and eat a habanero on the final day earn an “I Survived” T-shirt. About 120 participants make it to the final round.

Poudre Fire Authority firefighters serve the chili and use the week to educate students about fire; this year, PFA’s display focuses on education about fighting large wildfires, such as the High Park Fire.

CSU Housing and Dining staff prepare the chili for the contest, using legendary hot sauces, including several local recipes, to make the competition challenging.
All members of the campus community who have a meal plan are eligible to register. Daily giveaways and prizes are awarded to participants.
Event sponsors include Dave’s Hot Sauce, Horsetooth Hot Sauce, Gilberto’s Gourmet, U.S. Foods, the Poudre Fire Authority and Cholula.

Reporters are asked to RSVP to Dell Rae Moellenberg. RSVPs are requested so that reporters can be accommodated and allowed into the dining center. RSVP to Moellenberg at 970-491-6009 or dellrae.moellenberg@colostsate.edu.

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