Each year on the first Saturday of November, CASI holds the ultimate celebration of Chili. This granddaddy of all chili cook-offs is held at Rancho CASI de los Chisos in Terlingua, Texas. Rancho CASI is located on the North side of Highway 170, eleven miles West of Study Butte and 7 miles East of Lajitas. CASI was the original host for the 1967 Terlingua Chili Championship and continues the annual tradition.
The five-day celebration begins each year on Tuesday before the big weekend and culminates on Saturday with the Terlingua International Chili Championship©. It’s a Texas tradition of epic proportion.
Friday of this week is referred to as CASI Scholarship Day. Everyone is welcome to try their hand at competitions and/or judging of International Bean Championship©, International Hot Wings Championship© and International Salsa Championship©. All proceeds for entry fees on this day go to the CASI Scholarship Fund. It is a fun day before the big chili championship day and Friday contests are open to anyone.”
Visit Big Bend would be thrilled to host qualified journalist or media who might be interested in providing coverage for this West Texas tradition. They can even opt to be an official cookoff judge! Anyone interested in experiencing a few days of Texas desert fun, food, and comradery this year or in the future please feel free to reach out to Aaron Garza with Visit Big Bend with any questions. He can be reached at aarong@visitbigbend.com.
