One of the North Fork’s most popular winter traditions returns this weekend, as Greenport Harbor Brewing Company hosts its annual North Fork Chili Cook-Off on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at the brewery’s Peconic location on Main Road.
The event, now a staple of the offseason calendar, brings together local restaurants, volunteer fire departments and chili lovers for an afternoon of competition, camaraderie and beer. Founded to highlight the eateries that support the brewery throughout the year, the cook-off has grown into a community gathering.
This year’s restaurant lineup includes Dawg Daze BBQ, Ellen’s on Front, Little Fish, Lucharitos, Silver Sands Motel, Maize at the Shoals Dockside, Whiskey Wind Tavern and Green Hill Kitchen. Each will present its own take on chili, competing for two top honors: the Judges’ Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award, which is determined by votes from attendees.
Local fire departments also face off with their own chili recipes, vying for separate Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice awards in a rivalry that has become a highlight of the event.
The judging panel brings together culinary, media and local food-world heavyweights. Judges include Love Lane Kitchen owner Carolyn Iannone; chef Adam Kaufer of Grace & Grit; Emmy Award- and James Beard Award-winning television producer Rich Rosenthal, known for Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil; Emmy Award-winning host and North Fork Sun Food & Lifestyle editor Jaymee Sire; and chef Lihn Trieu, former owner of Wednesday’s Table in Southold.
Rosenthal, a returning chili cook-off judge who recently bought a home in Cutchogue, said standout chili often reveals itself quickly.
“You can kind of tell after the first bite,” he said. “The great ones have multiple flavors going on.”
Rosenthal said choosing a winner is hard because chili is such a personal, nostalgic dish. But in his experience as a 2025 judge, “the fire departments’ chili is always great. I could just eat all the fire department chili all day.”
Another chili cook-off veteran shared the same sentiment.
Reached Wednesday night, Greenport Fire Dept. assistant chief David Nyce refused a request for the secret sauce.
“If I give that up, it’s all over,” he said.
The idea for the North Fork Chili Cook-Off came from Greenport Harbor Brewing sales director Justin Wesnofske, shortly after the brewery opened its Peconic location: a chili festival on the one, football-free winter weekend before the Superbowl.
The brewery invited restaurants that serve its beer to compete, later expanding the competition to include local fire departments. East Marion, Greenport, Southold, Mattituck and Jamesport’s departments will be in the mix with the eight restaurants and bars.
Vandenburgh credited his wife, Ann, with assembling the cook-off’s high-profile judging panel, and said many judges return year after year.
“It’s not an easy job. It’s a lot of chili.”
To mark the occasion, the brewery’s production team has crafted a special beer exclusively for the event. Called The Hot Sauce, the limited-release hazy IPA blends earthy and citrus-forward flavors with a restrained kick of heat from Thai red chilies, complemented by lime zest.
Tickets cost $25, plus tax and fees, and include event entry and chili tastings. Attendees can sample offerings, enjoy brewery pours and cast their votes for the People’s Choice awards.