The heat is on: Nunavut Day chili cook-off for charity

Volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and Global Village pose in front of an Apex house in 2013 with the family the house was built for. Iqaluit’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity will have two fundraising events on this year’s Nunavut Day July 9, including a chili cook off judged by Nunavut celebrities. (PHOTO COURTESY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY)

So you think your chili is better than everyone else’s? Prove it.

This year’s Nunavut Day celebrations in Iqaluit will have a spicy kick: a chili cook-off in support of Habitat for Humanity.

And the chair of the fundraising committee for the Iqaluit chapter of the international non-profit organization — which helps to build and finance homes for low income people — says the competition is already heating up.

“Everyone I’ve talked to, who wants to enter the cook-off, they’re all so convinced they’re going to win,” Clarence Synard told Nunatsiaq News July 3.

Those people will have to wait until July 6, though. That’s when Synard will be accepting registration for the July 9 cook-off at his Nunavut Construction Corp. office on a first-come first-served basis.

“We’re not going to have any problems filling the 25 spots available, trust me,” Synard said.

Synard said he expects some cooks might try to impress the judges by incorporating country food into their chili.

“The other thing that really impressed me is that when I reached out to our three Nunavut celebrity judges—Bang! They were right on board, [saying], ‘Absolutely. What can I do to help? I’d love to be a part of this.’”

Those three celebrity judges are Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq, Nunavut’s deputy premier Monica Ell and Iqaluit’s deputy mayor Romeyn Stevenson.

“Most importantly, after all the judging is done, Habitat volunteers are going to serve chili to the patrons of Nunavut Day,” Synard said.

“It’s our way of giving back to the community that helps us out.”

Participants will have to pay $100 to enter the cook-off, with all proceeds going towards Iqaluit’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Synard said.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. released a schedule of events July 2 for this year’s Nunavut Day activities in Iqaluit, which includes a craft fair put on by Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association at the Cadet Hall, a seal skinning and duck plucking competition in the Igluvut Building parking lot and an Inuktitut film festival at the Astro Theatre.

Habitat for Humanity will host a second fundraising event in the Nakasuk Elementary School parking lot on July 9: a golf ball drop where people can buy 50/50 tickets ahead of time and hope the number on the first ball into a hole matches the number on their ticket. The winner could walk away with $10,000, Synard said.

Tickets for that event, which takes place at 4 p.m., can be purchased at D J Specialities, Freedom Hair or from any Habitat volunteer.

First prize for the chili cook off, to be judged at 12:30 p.m. in the Legislative Assembly’s parking lot, is a return ticket from Iqaluit to Ottawa plus $500.

For a full list of events scheduled for July 9, you can visit NTI’s website here.