The smell of chili wafted through the area in Iberia Parish Saturday as the St. Jude Chili Cookoff took place at the SugArena in Iberia Parish.

Teams from all over the Teche Area participated in the cookoff, and hundreds of locals attended the event for the promise of good music, good food and a good cause.

The two-day event is annually brought to the area due to the work of the Down South Heroes organization. The annual cookoff was once a smaller event that took place at the Lazy Lounge, but after a break due to the pandemic the event returned larger than ever at the SugArena.

Bands, auctions and fun for kids were all part of the event, organizer Tammy Derouen said.

The money raised from the cookoff benefits the children of St. Jude Children’s Hospital.