Top chili chefs

Longboat Key Fire Rescue took home some new hardware from Morton’s Firehouse Chili Cook-off, and it has nothing to do with saving lives or extinguishing blazes The firefighters were awarded the “grand champions” trophy from the cook-off on Oct. 14 for their “Red Tide Chili.” Longboat Key Fire Rescue has climbed the ladder of the cook-off in the last three years, finishing third in 2016 and second in 2017. This was their year though. It took them eight hours of cooking plus additional time to let the 23 gallons of chili sit overnight. The recipe, as you might have guessed, is a closely guarded secret. Lieutenant Bryan Carr wrote in an email that the team knew they had something good when Town Manager Tom Harmer stopped by and told them it was delicious.