You may have heard of Girls Night Out in Charleston, which is a fundraiser for the YWCA.



But have you heard of Guys Night Out?



It's a smaller scale event geared toward men that also raises money for the YWCA and Sojourner's Shelter. 



Think of a giant WVU tailgate with huge TVs, an outdoor BBQ, games, raffle tickets and silent auctions. And you have Guys Night Out! 



Located at Oakes Field in South Charleston, the event coincided with WVU's most recent football game. 



I was fortunate enough to be able to hep out and judge the wing contest held during halftime. 



They offer a BBQ buffet before making way for the wings. There were six different restaurants who competed for the title this year. 



They were Red Carpet, Bear's Den, Sam's Uptown Cafe, Tricky Fish, Bar 101 and the Lookout.



One of the smartest things they did was have these little Halloween-themed markers for each wing so you could keep track of which ones come from where. 



I can't tell you how beneficial this could be for pepperoni roll cookoffs, too! 



So let's talk about the wings! My favorites of the evening were Bar 101, Red Carpet and Tricky Fish.



All my fellow judges agreed on the top three - but Red Carpet ended up coming out on top. 



I think Bar 101 had the best balance of a sweet and tangy - it was a delish teriyaki.



And the people's choice was Bear's Den, which was surprising! But nice to spread the love a little.



Have you attended this event?

The Chili'N on the Elk – Chili Cookoff / Beer & Wine Festival was held on Saturday in Clendenin.



I was really excited to be able to judge the chili portion, which included traditional, homestyle and salsa.

 
For many folks, chili cookoffs are a very competitive sport. Sure, some do it just for fun. But for others, it's serious, and they go on to bigger competitions. 

  
The Clendenin event is an ICS-sanctioned event, so the winner automatically qualifies for the World Championship Chili Cook-off held in Myrtle Beach in 2022.



The ICS guidelines say that homestyle chili must have beans, but it can also have all kinds of other fillers and flavors.



Homestyle Chili
Homestyle Chili is any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients. Homestyle chili may be any color. Beans are required. Preference is not given to either cut meat, ground meat, shredded meat or cubed meat. Seafood is allowed. 



But traditional red cannot include beans and tends to be pretty straight-forward.



Traditional Red
Traditional Red Chili is any kind of meat, or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients. Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed. Preference is not given to either cut meat, ground meat, shredded meat or cubed meat.



During each of the three rounds - salsa, homestyle and traditional - there is a table with numbered containers.



We have no clue whose is whose, and we take a sample of each and write down notes. Then, you rank your top three at the bottom. I usually take a spoon to each one, with palate cleansers like tortillas or sour cream in-between, and then go back for a second taste on my top three to confirm their rankings.



It really is a lot of fun to think intently about the flavors and how they differ - especially when some chilis are so similar. 



There were some really tasty ones - I love the ones that have a different spin on them and are really well balanced. 



So, while all the delicious chili tasting is going on, there is also a whole other side to the festival that includes beer.  Local breweries and wineries like Greenbrier Valley, The Peddler, Weathered Ground, Big Timber Brewing, Screech Owl, Forks of Cheat Winery, Swilled Dog, Hawk Knob, Bridge Brew Works, Freefolk, Parkersburg Brewing, Stumptown Ales, and Chestnut Ridge were on the slate. 



On top of all the chili and beer, there were also vendors. One that I stopped at was Elk Valley Crafters. They had all kind of goodies!



From honey and maple syrup to candles and cookies, Elk Valley Crafters had a lot. I purchased some whipped honey that was chocolate flavored (they suggested dipping graham crackers in it - how good would that be!), as well as some butterfinger cookies AND a candle that I have yet to burn.



What an awesome small business that's really making the most of what they're producing. 



It was a great day to explore Clendenin. 



My friend Todd showed me the space where there is going to be a "bed & brewery."



So, I can't wait to come back to check that out! 



While here, I was also able to check out some other local restaurants that day.



So, stay tuned for those! 

OktoberWest was held last weekend on the West Side of Charleston. I had never been before, so I was super excited to check it out.



In its 13th year, OktoberWest presented by Encova Insurance is West Virginia’s largest traditional German Octoberfest and among the largest craft beer festivals in the state.



There were over 100 craft brews to sample, including several limited Octoberfest and German varieties. West Virginia breweries like Greenbrier Valley, Parkersburg Brewing, Big Timber Brewing, Bridge Brew Works, Sophisticated Hound, North End Tavern, Berkeley Springs and Bad Shepherd were all there.



Food vendors Shape Shop, Gil's Beef, Island Fixx, Dem 2 Bros, Ms Groovy's Kitchen, and Fatima's Thai Rolled Ice cream were all available - plus all the restaurants located in the Elk City area.



Bands Tropidelic and Here Come The Mummies were both so good.



Plus games like stein holding, beer belly, keg rolling, sausage toss, and best traditional dress contests. All funds raised from OktoberWest go directly back into Charleston’s West Side for programs, public art, and other community and economic revitalization projects. I was excited to volunteer for the event and provide lots of folks with their drinking cup. Have you been?

I love a good food festival.



Ribfest has been a Charleston institution for 20 years. It has been in various forms and locations, but I finally got the chance to check it out this year while over at Shawnee Sports Complex.



There were a half dozen or so rib vendors, with the only West Virginia representative being Dem 2 Bros. And a Grill. I know (and love) Dem 2 Brothers, so I wanted to try some different vendors.



Ideally, I wanted to try like a single rib from each one, but they don't sell that small of a quantity. So, I started with Johnson's Hickory Smoked BBQ. It's interesting to see the culture of these events - they have these huge displays of all the awards they've won, and this one caught my eye. 



They had a "boneless rib sandwich," which I thought sounded easy to eat and at $6, I could afford some other offerings. What I didn't realize is that this was essentially a McRib... The sauce was good though.



Then I went to another places: Cowboys Barbeque & Rib Company. I got their "taster" at $9. These were delish, but they can really be a full meal! I didn't need more after this. Super tender and flavorful, these ribs hit the spot.



Here are the other vendors I didn't get a chance to try. 



Where did you go?