A brisk Saturday meshed well with the warmth of the offerings March 2 at the third annual The Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Charity Chili Cook-Off at Florida Coastal School of Law.
Twelve teams competed for the judges' trophy and people's choice award while raising money to benefit Community Connections of Jacksonville.
Organizers decided to open the 2013 competition to any team from Jacksonville, not just the legal community, which was the case in the past two contests.
The team from Solomon Lodge No. 20 had won the first two competitions, but was not able to attend this year's event.
Its absence left the competition wide open and team Cornbread, comprising Avondale neighbors Dr. Mark Eaton, Frank Morreale, Reed Nelson and Bert Ralston let their meat-based, pepper chili earn them both awards.
"Our wives were in a book club, so we decided this was our way to do something productive, something for our community while having some fun," said Morreale.
Not being able to compete against the reigning champ gave Cornbread fire for next year's recipe.
"We were excited to go head-to-head with Solomon Lodge, so we will look forward to seeing them next year," said Morreale.
Other awards included "Spiciest Chili," which went to Tanner Bishop; "Meatiest Chili," which went to Driver McAfee Peek & Hawthorne; and "Non-traditional," which Dawson Orr took home.
Judges for the event included U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard, 4th Circuit Judges Mark Borello, Mallory Cooper, Jim Daniel and Dan Wilensky; and Duval County Judges Angela Cox, Gary Flower and Ron Higbee.
Eric Roberson, an event organizer and section board of governors member, estimated the event raised about $4,000 for Community Connections.
"It was well attended. Everyone had a tremendous time despite the cold weather and wind, and we were able to raise a good amount of money for our charity," said Roberson, who organized the event with co-chair Christine Bell and the assistance of Amanda Brooks.
The event included activities for children, live music and a silent auction.
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