The First Annual Perham United Way Chili Cook-off took place Tuesday, October 21 in Perham, Minnesota, at the Perham Area Community Center (PACC).
This fundraiser brought together ten local business participants and nearly one hundred community members for a lunch hour filled with friendly competition, good food, and community spirit.
Teams showcased their cooking skills and creative displays while serving up their best chili recipes. Attendees sampled the entries and voted for their favorites while helping raise funds for United Way programming across the Lakes and Prairie region.
Our panel of judges tasted and scored each entry based on flavor, presentation, and creativity. The 2025 winners were:
- Booth Display: Perham Chamber
- Most Unique Chili: PACC
- Judge’s Choice: Perham Health
- Hottest Chili: Perham Health
- People’s Choice: Perham Health
United Way Lakes and Prairie extends a heartfelt thank you to all participants, student volunteers, and attendees who made the first-ever Perham Cook-off such a success. Special thanks to the Perham Area Community Center for hosting, our local business sponsors for their generous support in participating. Thank you to our business event sponsors, Perham Health, PACC, and United Community Bank and to Bongards for donating the cheese for our event!
Funds raised from this event support United Way initiatives focused on Youth Opportunity, Financial Stability, Healthy Communities, and Community Resiliency, helping ensure everyone in our community has the resources they need to thrive.
We are already looking forward to next year’s Cook-Off and can’t wait to see who will take home the trophies in 2026!
