The University of Houston-Clear Lake’s 35th Annual Chili Cook-off on campus brought students and staff together to compete for bragging rights for the best chili on campus Saturday October 11, 2025.
“The event keeps getting better each year,” said Rachel Martinez, member of the American Marketing Association (AMA). “Last year was great but this year is even better. It’s so awesome and there’s so many people here!”
There were tents lined up with teams handing out samples of their homemade chili. Some groups also topped off their chili with cheese, green onions, and sour cream. Other groups also gave out slices of corn bread to pair them with.
Several teams had matching outfits and accessories with their tents decorated to a specific theme.
“The AMA joined three years ago and won that first year, last year, and now we’re hoping for a third win,” said Martinez. “Our president, Shirley Alexander, had been working on it since 9:00 am.”
Hunter the Hawk also attended with guests Shasta and Sasha from University of Houston main campus, who took photos with attendees there.
The Black Student Association (BSA) were also present, marking their first year participating in the cook-off. “Everyone’s having fun! We’re doing a lot better than we expected,” said London Fereaud, President of BSA. “We hope we can go for the win but it’s our first time so we don’t know what could happen.”
Attendees got to submit their votes for Best Spirit and People’s Choice. Family and friends were also able to attend with the presence of food trucks, music, games, and vendors that were appropriate for all ages.
Other student organizations were present, one being the Social Work Student Organization (SWSO), who were handing out free Frito Chips to attendees to pair with their chili tasting. They also held a Spin-to-Win wheel where people got to win prizes by spinning the wheel.
“We do a lot of advocacies around the school. We like to go out and volunteer,” said John Pozo, (SWSO) Vice-President. “Anyone can join our organization. It’s all about giving back to the community.”
The annual Chili Cook-Off brought students and staff together along with family and friends to participate in UHCL’s longest running homecoming tradition. I Like to Brew it, Brew it, a joint team of The Board Game Association, Accounting Association, and Beta Alpha Psi took home this year’s win for the Chili Cook-Off.
