It’s been seen before: Snowmass hosts second annual chili cookoff and beer tasting contest

From the organizers of the Snowmass Rendezvous event, the village returns with Snowmass Déjà Vu, a chili cook-off and beer tasting event.

Déjà Vu, which is a tribute to past years with the Snowmass Craft Beer and Chili Pepper & Brew festivals, will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 7, at the Snowmass Mall.

Tickets are $50 and attendees must be at least 21 years old. Once you receive your wristband at the event, prepare for a four-hour tasting fest and unlimited drinks, including beer, cocktails, cider and soda.

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Parking is free in the Snowmass Base Village garage, as well as in the numbered lots on Carriage Way, except Lot 6.

Denver-based agency Two Parts is helping Snowmass Tourism organize the culinary competition. The event itself will be retro-inspired and include beer pong, cornhole and live music in the form of a DJ and a band.

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“I know the locals wanted to bring back the old chili and beer festival that used to exist, so we took some of that inspiration and reinvented it a little bit,” said Keanan Stoner of Two Part, who has been with Snowmass Tourism for eight years. “So that’s where the chili component came from.”

Stoner said event attendees should expect about a dozen drink vendors and a dozen chili cookers. He also noted that last year’s Déjà Vu hosted about 500 people, and he hopes to host even more this year.)

One of the biggest changes from last year is the date. Last year, the event was held in August, but Stoner and Snowmass Tourism felt a September date would work better for the event.

“Just to try to focus on this shift into fall, make sure that eating spicy chili feels appropriate to you — not necessarily in the middle of a hot summer day,” he said.

Chefs and restaurants also compete to win the chili cookoff. Chilis can be spicy, vegetarian or even seafood-inspired, and they can come with an extra side, like a mini taco. Chili tasters vote with tokens placed in voting boxes outside each booth.

“And then at the end, we’ll have a fun little ceremony and unveil the trophy,” Stoner said. “We have a big, weird trophy to give to the winner.”

The Viceroy of Snowmass won last year, but not everyone was happy.

“It was like the corporate restaurant was beating out all the local restaurants, and everyone was so angry in such a friendly, awesome way,” said Shane Vetter, senior event producer at Snowmass Tourism.

As for this year, Stoner sees other contenders coming to the plate, or rather the chili bowl.

“They’re obviously serious contenders and defenders. But we’ve also got clubs like Stew Pot that are competing, you know, their thing is stew. So you have to imagine they’re going to do their best as well,” he said.
Stew Pot, who finished last year with a beef chili, a vegetarian chili and a habanero chili, found it ironic that they didn’t win.

“It’s kind of funny because, you know, we make chili for a living, but it was good,” said Stewpot owner Fletcher Duke. “That’s what we do. Chili is our life. The Stew Pot has been making chili for 52 years. So if you’re coming for the king, you better not miss it.”

And for Vetter, the friendly trash talk was his favorite part of the whole event.

“There’s nothing more tense and competitive than chef competition,” he said. “They want to win. They don’t want to lose to the restaurant next door. They definitely don’t want to lose to the chef they like or don’t like. So, honestly, it’s really fun. And we can make everybody think, ‘Haha, I kicked your ass last year.’”

Regan Mertz can be reached at 970-429-9153 or [email protected].