Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti, standing with his family, holds his trophy for Best of the Chili Cook-Off at the 2019 Boardman Optimist Club annual Celebrity-Political Chili Cook-Off.

BOARDMAN — Chili beans. Peppers. Beef. Chicken. Corn bread. Celebrities. Politicians.

After a year off, the annual Political-Celebrity Chili Cook-Off returns next week with all that minus one important ingredient — charity fundraiser founder Pete Gabriel passed away last month.

“Pete Gabriel started the event,” Optimist member Jan Cefalu said. “We always are talking about fundraising ideas. We don’t have a big bank account. This was his original idea he came up with. It was a hit from the very beginning.”

For years, Gabriel hosted shows and was a program director on WKBN 570-AM radio. When he heard that other Optimist Clubs were hosting chili cookoffs, he brought the idea to Boardman more than a decade ago.

Gabriel died Aug. 25 at age 83. This year, there will be a short tribute during his Chili Cook-Off to honor his legacy.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser that we do,” Cefalu said.

Festivities set for 6 p.m. Oct. 6 at Avion on the Water, 2177 W. Western Reserve Road, Canfield. The event usually draws 14 to 17 chili chefs and 300 to 400 hungry chili tasters.

“We’re hoping to try to get more this year. When you skip a year, sometimes people forget,” Cefalu said.

At last count, 20 contestants will present 13 chilis. Each booth also will offer accompaniments such as crackers, corn bread and spices.

“We (the Optimist Club) provide salad and cake,” Cefalu said.

The event usually raises about $4,000, which the Optimist Club invests into local youth projects, such as the bicycle safety poster contest, essay competitions and the Boardman Challenger Baseball League, an adaptive division for autistic players.

Chefs this year include on board this year include state Sen. Michael Rulli; state Rep. Al Cutrona; Mahoning County officeholders Auditor Ralph Meachum, Sheriff Jerry Green, Engineer Patrick Ginnetti, Recorder Nora Lynn Palermo and Treasurer Dan Yemma; Democratic Party Chair Joyce Kale Pesta; Republican Party Chair Tom McCabe; newscaster Gerry Ricciutti; and newsman Mark Sweetwood with Justin Dennis and Thea Nixon.

Returning to the Boardman Township Trustees table will be longtime contestant Tom Costello.

While fellow trustees Brad Calhoun and Larry Moliterno handle the sides and details, he’ll be stirring up a batch of his standard, family-secret recipe chili. It was created by his brother, who passed it on to him. “Someday, I’ll pass it to my kids,” Costello said.

“It’s a good all-around, everyday chili,” he said. “It’s not overly hot or spicy, but I bring a jar of home-canned hot peppers.”

He’s never won officially, but “people love it. Quite honestly, I’ve come home every year with no chili left.

“It’s a good cause,” he said of the cookoff. “Boardman Optimists are raising money to put back into our community.

“It’s a good time … lots of laughs. In my job, I get to do a lot of things that ain’t a lot of fun,” he said. But the Chili Cook-Off is a blast, he said.

Also returning is Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti, who will share the booth with Commissioner Carol Rimedio Righetti.

“This is an event I’ve done ever since I was elected,” Traficanti said. “It’s a really beautiful thing for the community. I’ve done a lot of events. I enjoy this. I look forward to it.”

Traficanti declined to reveal his secret recipe other than to say it’s about “consistency and always using fresh ingredients and spices that I can, and always a touch of love.”

It’s a vegetarian chili that features lentils and chili beans, “with hot sauce on the side.”

Part of the money raised comes from the $10 tickets, which includes a ballot for categories of Hottest Chili, Most Original Chili, Favorite Political Chili, Favorite Celebrity Chili, and Best of Chili Cook-Off.

In this contest, stuffing the ballot box is encouraged. Additional ballots cost $1 each.

There’s also a Chinese auction, which typical contributes about $1,000 of the total raised, and the rest is filled out proceeds from a 50/50 raffle.

Sponsors this year include State Farm of Poland, Creekside Fitness and Health of Boardman, ServiceMaster Restore of Boardman, Cerimele, Meyer & Wray accounting of Poland, Asphalt Solutions of Youngstown and Paul’s Auto Collision of Boardman.