FORSYTH - The holiday shopping season is past, but Hickory Point Mall in Forsyth will be heating up again.

The Great Forsyth Regional Chili Cookoff, which features both competitive and celebrity cooks, will be held Saturday at the mall. This is the fourth year for the event, which attracts cooks from across the country.

"No two people make chili alike, so you'll have an opportunity to taste a big broad variety of chili," Forsyth Mayor Harold "Hap" Gilbert said.

The competition part of the event will feature more than 30 cooks competing for a chance to advance to the International Chili Society World Championships in October. The chili is made on the spot, and no fillers such as beans are allowed for competitors, said Bob Hall, one of the event organizers.

"The judges look for the meat and the sauce," Hall said. "Around here we all grew up eating chili with beans in it. When you get into judging competition, it's not needed and it just gets in the way."

It doesn't take any special training to judge chili, Hall said.

"The best judges are every day people off the street," Hall said. "You get a variety of different tastes of what they like, and that's what we're shooting for."

Not all of the chili is hot and spicy like is commonly thought, said Jay Nicole of Ray's Brand Chilli, another event organizer and sponsor.

"Now it's more full-flavored rather than hot or spicy," Nicole said.

The competition is designed so anybody who enters has a chance of winning. New entrants have been the winners in the past, beating those who've been competing longer.

"We've had brand new cooks the first time out win, and we've had cooks cook 20 years and win," Hall said. "Nobody has a lock on it. It's open."

The event attracted people from eight states last year, Nicole said.

Cooking starts in the morning and judging for salsa chili starts at noon, followed by chili verde at 1:30 p.m. and red chili at 3 p.m. Samples will be available after the judging. Awards from the competition will be handed out by 4:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the world championships and receiving $1,200 to cover travel expenses.

Proceeds will go to support the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities. The competition will be held in the area outside of Bergner's, while the celebrity cookoff will be held in the old M.C. Sports area.

Over 20 local celebrities will be cooking for bragging rights.

"It's provided a really enjoyable event for not only the participants but the public that comes out to support it," Gilbert said. "There are some people who will be talking about the chili all year."

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