Boy Scouts continue dominance at Food Festival

By Mark Mirek

Boy Scouts of Troop 43 returned to defend their two-year reign as champions of the St. Thomas Aquinas Fall Food Festival on Saturday, Nov. 15 benefiting the St. Vincent de Paul society.

This annual culinary clash, hosted by the STA Knights of Columbus, drew the greatest number of competitors in event history.  Troop 43 raised their collective hands to meet this challenge, with incredible results:

First Place Chili: Scout Tanner’s award-winning chili returned to dominate the competition.  Having the entire troop cooking this chili at the event was the secret to repeating this 2023 event winner.

Second Place Meat & International Dish: Scout Josh scored a double bagger with his cabrito side dish, leaving everyone wanting more.  We think this dish will be the GOAT in 2026!

Second Place Desert Dish: Scout George impressed everyone with his debut performance in cupcakes. His service left all participants asking, “who made these wonderful treats?”

Third Place Desert Dish: Scout Charlie’s chocolate “cookies” entry demonstrated how Troop 43 serves this event, with grace, charm and sweetness. We cannot wait to see what Charlie enters for 2026.

 Troop 43 repeated their recipe for success at this event. They won second place overall in this year’s event, accepting the voting results at the end of the evening. Undaunted, Troop 43 has already accepted the culinary challenge from St Vincent de Paul and others for the 2026 prize. Just wait till next year!