The aroma of fresh-brewed chili will be in the air Saturday as Tooele City and Macey's Food & Drug combine efforts in producing the first annual Dutch Oven Chili Cook-Off Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. at the Tooele City Pool Park. The cook-off will coincide with the fourth annual Tooele City Fiddle Fest.

The chili will be prepared by five competitors: Lloyd Thomas will prepare his "mountain meadow chili"; Fred Lowry enters the contest with "chili-dump"; Rob Lundwall will make his "green chili stew and tortillas"; Rulaynne Derrickson will serve up "chicken and white-bean chili"; and the father and son team of Larry and Kam Derrickson will fix "chili ol?."

The Tooele Valley County Players will take the center stage and entertain the audience with the old-time sounds of their fiddles from noon until 2 p.m.

Rusty Fischer, a butcher at Macey's in Tooele, spearheaded the organization of the event.

"I hope this event will be an opportunity for our community to come together," Fisher said, adding that next year the plan is to expand the event into a complete Dutch oven cook-off.

Judges for the cook-off will be Tooele City Mayor Pat Dunlavy, Tooele City Police Chief Ron Kirby and members of the Tooele City Council. They will be trained in chili judging by Jen Ward, a local resident who has won awards at the national level in Dutch oven competitions. Ward teaches Dutch oven cooking at Macey's Little Theater. Criteria for the cook-off include preparation, taste and presentation. Awards will be presented at 2 p.m.

Prizes will be presented to the cooks at the conclusion of the judging.

What: Dutch Oven Chili Cook-Off and Tooele City Fiddle Fest

When: Saturday at 10 a.m.

Where: Tooele City Pool Park

Tim Gillie: tgillie@tooeletranscript.com