Roanoke, Va. (September 3, 2025) – Calling all chili chefs! Center in the Square will award $1,000 for the best chili at the Center in the Square Chili Cookoff, October 26, 2025, on Market Square in downtown Roanoke, from 12 – 4 pm.
Center in the Square is looking for the best tasting chili, as well as the booth that is the most fun and inventive. In addition to the $1,000 grand prize, second place will receive $150, and third place $100. $125 will be given to the most creative booth and the people’s choice winners.
“We thought it was time to bring back a great tradition for downtown Roanoke by establishing a fall chili cookoff,” Tara Marciniak, president of Center in the Square, said. “We look forward to seeing all the amazing and different kinds of chili that people in the region can bring to the table.”
The entry fee for chili contestants is $100 per booth. ($60 with proof of prior $40 Virginia Department of Health Temporary Food Establishment payment.) Each entrant must provide their own cooking equipment and event tent.
Tickets for the public will be $15 which includes chili tasting and voting. Those with a sweet tooth will want to visit the flowing fountains of milk and dark chocolate in the atrium of Center in the Square, where you can taste dipped strawberries, Rice Krispie Treats and marshmallows. Chocolate Fountain tickets are $10. A combination ticket for chili tasting and the chocolate fountain experience is $20.
Judges will determine the winner for best chili. Those who purchase tasting tickets will vote for the people’s choice and most creative and engaging booth awards.
Those interested in participating should contact event organizer Winter Blake at [email protected] or (540) 666-8156. Media inquiries, Logan Goodwin (540) 224-1247 or [email protected]
About Center in the Square: The Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, operating as Center in the Square, enhances the region’s economic development, education, and quality of life by providing a home to eight important cultural organizations. It is an independent, private, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that owns and operates four downtown Roanoke properties: Center in the Square, Center on Church, the former Shenandoah Hotel, and the former downtown Norfolk & Western Railway Passenger Station.
Center in the Square gifts spaces to six other nonprofit organizations: Mill Mountain Theatre, O. Winston Link Museum, Opera Roanoke, Roanoke Ballet Theatre, Roanoke History Museum, and the Science Museum of Western Virginia. Center in the Square also operates its own programs including Kids Square, Roanoke Pinball Museum, and Roanoke STARCADE.