Chefs will serve an overload of flavor this Valentine’s Day weekend as the most colorful chili cook-off in Palm Beach County returns after a half-decade hiatus, one day after drag queens serve in the county’s biggest annual drag show pageant.
The annual Miss Palm Beach Pride Pageant will take place Feb. 14 in Lake Worth Beach, and the Gay Chili Cook-off, last held in 2020, will take place Feb. 15 in West Palm Beach. The Lake Worth Beach nonprofit Compass Community Center is producing both events.
Pageant contestants will sashay in their evening formal wear, lip-synch and show off other talents to try to win up to $500 and be crowned Mister or Miss Palm Beach Pride.
Those seeking to compete can sign up in-person at Compass’ headquarters at 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach, or online at CompassLGBTQ.com/palmbeachpridepageant, by 11 p.m. Feb. 13. Late entrants must pay a $50 fee.
Doors open for the contest at 1 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Lake Worth Playhouse at 713 Lake Ave. The show starts at 2 p.m. Adults can buy tickets for $15 before the show, or $20 the day of the performance.
The big Gay Chili Cook-Off will run 1 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 at H.G. Rooster’s bar at 823 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach.
Cooks will serve different kinds of chili and be judged for them. Chili tastings cost $5. Voting costs $1. Proceeds fund Compass’ programs for youth and families.
The Compass Youth Program serves as a safe haven for young people ages 11 to 18 to discuss issues and problems they face with trusted members of the nonprofit. Learn more online at compasslgbtq.com/youthprogram.
The last chili cook-off took place in 2020 at Penny’s at the Duke in Lantana, which closed in 2021. The cook-off was put on hiatus until Rooster’s, which had closed in 2020 due to a fire, reopened in 2025.
Palm Beach Pride Pageant’s sponsors include Village Pet Pals, Metropolitan Community Church of the Palm Beaches, the Lake Worth Playhouse and AHF Pharmacy.
Email news tips and ideas to Chris Persaud at cpersaud@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Gay Chili Cook-off returns after 5-year hiatus, joins drag pageant
Reporting by Chris Persaud, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
