The cold temperatures and random snow on Sunday, May 4 did not squelch the heat of the dishes—or the competition—at the 20th Annual Fire and Spice Culinary Competition at The Grill Room at Thendara Golf Club.
Lovers of hot and spicy food sampled a variety of savory to sweet dishes presented by this year’s contestants while enjoying the event’s signature margaritas and music provided by Joe Bolton and John Christy.
Judges for this year’s contest were Stephanie Clark, Jan O’Connor, Lee Haynes and Charlie Frey who gave grand prize winning honors to Chad Gardner. Second place winner was Irena Puleo and in third place was Sally Woods.
Placing fourth was Kathy Queen and in fifth place was Sonya Poe.
The annual event is hosted by Jim and Chris Holt, owners of Seventh Lake House and operators of The Grill Room.