Location
The Chili Cook-Off is located in the grassy triangle at the foot of Newport Avenue just north of the festival’s Main Stage.
Tasting Information
Saturday, June 27, 2026!
Is eating (rather than cooking) delicious chili more your speed? Put your taste buds to the test and cast your vote alongside the judges!
Featuring tasting booths in amateur and restaurant divisions, the Chili Cook-Off tastings begin at 11 am and end when contestants run out of samples, around 1:30 pm. If you want to try every recipe and vote for the best, you can purchase a Master Ticket for $30. All Sales Final. No refunds are available.
Your Pre-Paid Master Tickets MUST be picked up by noon at WILL CALL at the ticket booth located in Veterans Plaza. ALL SALES FINAL!
(Cash and Credit now accepted).
New this year!! For only $76.50, purchase your Master Ticket COMBO with T-shirt and Tote available for pickup only at the ticket booth
Chili Cook-Off Contestants Sign-Up Here!
The famous chili cook-off by the sea!
Amateur & Restaurant Division
Compete for the bragging rights to the People’s Choice Award for the Best & Hottest Chili!
A brief history of the OB Chili Cook-Off Festival
In 1984, Ocean Beach had its first Chili Cook-off Festival with Mike Akey, the current board of directors member of the OB MainStreet Association, as its founder. Back in the 1970s, Mike and his father, Angie Scaramuzzo, were chili enthusiasts and often traveled to chili cook-offs in the likes of Las Vegas, Balboa Island, Cabo San Lucas, and Guadalajara, to mention a few. Mike’s dad once went to the world competition in Rosemond, California (a ghost town), to compete with his “Scaramuch Chili.” Angie also founded the Lake Havasu City Chili Cook-Off, which is still being done today.
Mike considered starting a cook-off in OB and decided to do so in 1984. The International Chili Society (ICS) sanctioned the chili cook-offs for the first three years. The winner was eligible to go to the State Cook-Off, which could have led to the National Cook-Off. In 1987, Akey and his committee decided to change to an Amateur Cook-Off, though they still used the basics from the ICS for judging.
The Cook-Off also used to have a Shoot and Holler Contest—a shot of tequila and then a shout in the microphone. The loudest person got the award. "We also enjoyed the Mr. Hot Sauce and Miss Chili Pepper Contest during the same time period. We eventually had to stop that," said Mike. It got a little too risqué and was developing into a bikini contest."
In the early days, hay bales lined part of the 4900 block of Newport Avenue to provide seating for the Chili Cook-Off. Eventually, the OB Chili Cook-Off moved to the OB Pier parking lot, but the blacktop was just too hot. The move to Veterans Plaza on the grass filled the bill and has been the site for our Cook-Off ever since, with over three times the number of contestants!
Thanks to Mike Akey and his dad for founding the OB Chili Cook-Off so we can all enjoy it again this year.
Partial List of Winners and Awards from the Last Several Years
