The day of the fourth annual Fire & Ice Chili Challenge was auspicious. A little early-morning rain, afternoon sunshine, strong breeze—nothing too out of the ordinary for a decidedly “out-like-a-lion” March day. Just right for a spicy competition in an icy arena!

Eight contestants and their prized chilis met at Goggin Ice Center on March 26, 2026, to determine the definitive champion of chili for 2026.

The contestants were:

• Luke Beatty, EMSS
• Patrick Hawk, IT Services
• Rhett Butler, Rec Center
• JJ Slager, Advancement
• Chris Marck, Miami Dining
• Dan Sinetar, Global Initiatives
• Zoe Hill, UCM
• Lauran Franklin, HR

Each brought their own unique take on the traditional meat-and-bean soup dish, including one with tofu and several with chorizo.

Introducing the esteemed judges…

As in previous years, one of the most fun parts of the day was announcing the judges and revealing their nametags, complete with fun nicknames. The tags were created by the creative minds at the Library Makerspace, and were a huge hit with everyone.

The judges:

• Kayla Becker, Myaamia Center
• Zacchary Townsend, Tech Support Lounge, IT Services
• Jessica Palatka, Office of Human Resources Management
• Scott Rouse, Dining Services
• Jessica Rivinius, University Communications and Marketing

Kayla Becker, quality assurance analyst at the Myaamia Center, reached out beforehand to let the event organizers know that judging a chili contest was on her bucket list—so of course they had to include her in the judging lineup. The “Heritage Heat Keeper,” as her name badge decreed, came in with a plan, notes, and even her six-month-old daughter, Juliana, to help her celebrate the occasion.

“It was everything I had dreamed,” she said on the day, after consecutively trying eight chilis. “I had such a great time and was so excited to be a judge.”

Scott Rouse, university executive chef and “Cafeteria Connoisseur of Capsaicin,” expressed similar sentiment. After competing last year, he threw his hat in the ring to be a judge, and he thoroughly enjoyed the time spent bantering and tasting chili. “It was so much fun to see different parts of the university coming together in the annual event,” he said afterward.

University community coming together

Each contestant entered the arena with the backing of their department or division. Most were the victors of their respective chili contests from earlier in the school year, but in one particular case, the contestant was determined in a unique way. The Miami Dining representative was chosen by the students themselves!

The week before spring break, the dining halls showcased several different chilis for the students to try, and votes were collected and tallied by student employees.

The inclusion of students in this process is a testament to the ubiquity of this event - the administrative offices, student-facing departments, and the students themselves coming together to create a lovely team-building moment. People look forward to this event every year, a testament to the hard work the original organizers put into it. What started out as a friendly ribbing between IT Services and the Libraries has evolved into a (still friendly) heated rivalry that brings departments from across the university together over a delicious meal.

Without further ado, the winners!

The judges voted on the winners, and everyone who attended was given one vote toward a "People's Choice" award. The results were:

• Third place: Luke Beatty, EMSS
• Second place: Lauran Franklin, HR
• People’s Choice: Also Lauran!

And . . . Drum roll please . . .

First place for the 2026 Fire & Ice Chili Competition went to Patrick Hawk from IT Services!

It’s been a long time coming, folks. Patrick actually won the very first chili challenge, way back in 2019, but it was on behalf of the Libraries at the time. He started in his role with IT Services in 2020, and since then, we’ve been sending him on as our champion each year. And this year was finally his year!

Congratulations, Patrick! And good luck to everyone next year!