Photo Essay: Chili Boy and the Virginia Chili Contest

Your favorite editor/chili judge digs in for a second taste of an especially good batch.

Audrey Webb, 13, of Lynchburg serves dad's chili.

Audrey's dad, David, keeps cooking.

Chili: the basics.

Dawn Hodge stirs her pot.

Somebody asked Roger Koltz where the Redskins chili was. He picked up the trash can.

Jennifer Violette (left), Tonya Quesenberry and Surgical Precision Chili

Little girl wonders if he's a pervert.

Robyn Smith, Marla Robertson break from cooking Choover's Chili.

Bill Ullmann says serving H.O.G. Chili "brings out my feminine side."

Rick, Amy Hayes dish out H.O.G. Chili.

Harley boys Jim Ewbank, Melvin Vaught and Gerald Clyburn stir their caldrons.

Crowd mills around looking for a taste of a winning chili.

Roanoke's annual chili festival, which benefits Greenvale School, was in a parking lot on Salem Avenue (a most unfortunate choice of venue) and it drew a good crowd, despite threatening weather.

Your favorite editor was among the judges and he pronounced all 10 chili varieties he tasted (of 20 contestants) "far too salty. My blood pressure just went up 50 points." But there were some good ones, his favorite being one that looked more like barbecue, but had a lovely bouquet, texture and taste.

Here's some of what went on. And, let us also note that none of the many chilis was spelled "chile."