The ‘First Annual West Hartford Fire Department Chili Taste’ will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014.

By Ronni Newton

Visitors to the West Hartford Farmers’ Market on Saturday will have the opportunity to sample chili prepared by local firefighters using locally-grown ingredients provided by the market’s vendors.

The West Hartford Farmers’ Market will host a chili tasting on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014. Photo credit: Ronni Newton.

On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. through noon, members of West Hartford Fire Department’s Station No. 1 (Prospect Ave.) will be serving up chili and cornbread that they have created themselves. All of the main ingredients will be provided by the farmers – including meat courtesy of Four Mile River Farm in Old Lyme.

Firefighters from Station No. 1 have been frequent visitors to the market. “They said they’d like to do something together, and we wanted to come up with an event,” said Kathryn Caruso of Upper Forty Farm, who is helping organize and promote the event.

Chili and cornbread samples will be available free of charge, but market organizers are asking visitors to bring three non-perishable items to donate to the West Hartford Food Pantry. In exchange, they will receive a copy of the farmers’ market cookbook and a shopping bag.

“Last year all of the stations had a chili cookoff and I won,” said Lt. Jeff DuFresne of West Hartford Fire Department Station No. 1 who was chosen as the official “chef” to create the farmers’ market chili. DuFresne said he’s been cooking chili for years. For a recipe he said, “I always revert back to Al Roker’s ‘Spicy Beef Chili.’ He’s made me a winner.”

DuFresne and the other firefighters on duty Friday night at the Prospect Avenue firehouse were hard at work creating the chili and planned to let it simmer for several hours, refrigerate overnight, and heat it again beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday.

DuFresne said Friday night that it was “incredible” to be able to prepare the chili with such fresh ingredients. “Guys that aren’t really cooks are cutting onions that are straight from the garden – it’s incredible,” he said.

“All of the farmers are participating,” said Caruso. “We’re really excited about it.” Caruso hopes to involve other local organizations in future collaborations with the farmers, and hopes to get a great turnout at the inaugural event.

DuFresne said that Capt. John Brice deserves much of the credit for making the chili taste happen. Brice is in charge of community relations for the station, and has gotten involved with the farmers’ market in the past through “touch a truck” events.

The chili tasting – as well as the farmers’ market – will be held rain or shine. The market is open from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturdays, but the chili tasting is from 10 a.m. until noon. The West Hartford Center Farmers’ Market is held in the parking lot at the corner of LaSalle Road and Arapahoe Road.