Chili Cook Off Raises Money for Greg Caron Family Fund

Ellington, its surrounding towns, and even surrounding states, displayed their support for Cpl. Greg Caron on Saturday when a fundraiser was held at in Somers to benefit the wounded Marine.

The fundraiser came in the form of a chili cook off, organized by Michael Freedman of New England Regional Chili Cook Off acclaim. A few International Chili Society World Championship chefs were on hand for the event, which also featured five rookies for a total of 32 cooks from eight different states.

In addition to all of the cooks, several local politicians came to the event. Congressman Joe Courtney, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, State Rep. Penny Bacchiochi, State Rep. Christopher Davis, Somers First Selectman Lisa Pellegrini, and Selectmen Kathy Devlin and Bud Knorr, were all in attendance.

“It’s really not a chore, this is great food,” said Courtney, who has come to chili cook offs in Somers before.

Courtney has spent a lot of time with Caron and his wife, Nina, lately, and talked about how the support has impacted Caron.

“He kept saying over and over again how the support that he has back home just really motivates him,” he said. “It also kind of blows him away how strong it is. It really means a lot to him. It’s the least we can do. There’s a nice spark in the guy that really, I think, connects with people.”

Davis told the crowd that he is the same age as Caron and has many mutual friends, though he has never met the Marine.

“A lot of our friends are here helping out,” he said. “I just want to thank everyone who is volunteering here today for Greg and his family.” 

Although Freedman was able to impressively organize the event in a relatively short time frame, the focus, he said, was entirely on Caron and the cooks’ efforts for the Marine.

“All of the cooks donated their winnings back to the Greg Caron Family Foundation,” explained Freedman. In addition, “We were joined by Gary and Doreen Caron, Greg’s parents, and his twin brother, Jon. They were blown away by the dedication of the ICS cooks. They said that everyone they spoke with was so friendly and giving.”

Freedman seemed a bit blown away, himself, noting that over 1,000 people attended the indoor event. “One man came up to me at one point and said, ‘I don’t need any special recognition,’ [and] handed me a wad of bills then left. I opened it and found ten $100 bills and would have fainted if not for the support of one of our really big Air Force friends.”

Generosity toward the Caron family appears contagious. The is one of dozens of fundraisers that have taken place since November or will be taking place in coming months. , a , a , , dinners, and more are all contributing to the family to prepare for Caron’s long recovery, bills, a handicap ramp and more.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Marine's story, Caron lost both his legs and suffered other injuries from an IED explosion while serving in Afghanistan in November. He has undergone surgery and is recovering at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

Freedman would like to extend his thanks to all the winning chefs, (the winners are listed below), as well as Mike and Mary Alice Kropp for their help as chief judges and score keeper. Freedman said over $8,000 was raised in four hours. 

For more information on how you can help and/or contribute to the fund, visit http://www.gregcaronfoundation.com. You can also follow Caron’s progress on Facebook.

Greg Caron Regional Chili Cook Off Official Results:

Salsa
3rd - Steve Stark, Agawam, MA
2nd - Roxanne Ballachino, Manchester, CT
1st and representing the Greg Caron Regional Chili Cook Off at the 2012 WCCC - Linda McGrath, Weatogue, CT

Verde
3rd - Michael Scheidel, Rookie Cook, Enfield, CT
2nd - Dean Harvery, MA
1st and reperesenting the Greg Caron Regional Chili Cook Off at the 2012 WCCC - Scott Navaroli, Leichester, MA

Red

3rd - Ghon Eckely, McClean, VA
2nd - Vicki Tankis, Southbridge, MA
1st and representing the Greg Caron Regional Chili Cook Off at the WCCC - Marc Frechette, Ellington, CT