The University of Kentucky’s College of Nursing Wellness Council hosted its annual Chili Cook-Off at the College of Nursing Building.
Participants were able to showcase their chili on Oct. 24 with judges basing their decisions on the flavors and spices to determine who would be this year’s winner.
As judges and attendees got a cup of chili, College of Nursing faculty and staff were able to take a break from their busy schedules, and enjoy each other’s company.
Brittani Garland, a communications associate for the College of Nursing, said she appreciated the community building aspect the Chili Cook-Off provides.
“I’m most excited to see people coming together and building the community here in the college a little bit more. It’s definitely something that during the semester there’s so much going on that it’s really hard for all of us to get together… so it’s nice just to have community together,” Garland said.
The College of Nursing’s Wellness Council hopes that through events like the Chili Cook-Off, members of the college will be able to destress and feel a sense of belonging, Dr. Lee Anne Walmsley, the assistant dean of wellness and wellbeing at the college said.
“In our college, it is extremely important to us that we have a sense of community with faculty and staff, so that faculty and staff have time to talk, get to know each other, get to know each others’ interests, our hobbies, our families,” Walmsley said.
As the main event kicked off, judges who were faculty members from UK Healthcare, began tasting and deliberating over each cup of chili.
Ben Hughes, a director in Trauma-Surgical Services at UK Healthcare, shared his experience as a first-time judge.
“Yeah, it’s pretty fun. Come in, you get to taste everything. We don’t talk about our results, we taste everything first and then start sharing flavor profiles and those types of things,” Hughes said.
After the judges’ deliberation, Human Resources and Faculty Resource Coordinator at the College of Nursing, Cynthia Fentress, was announced as the winner of the 2024 Annual College of Nursing Chili Cook-Off.
