CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Day was celebrated in the form of food Thursday afternoon as First Lady Cathy Justice awarded Calhoun County resident Paige Tony with the top prize of the West Virginia Hot Dog Sauce Contest.
Tony, who makes the chili often for the Calhoun County High School Band, said the recipe spans generations in her family.
“My mom was band director, her mom made gallons, so since the 40s, this recipe has been around being made as the Band Boosters hot dog sauce. It’s quite old,” Tony said after being presented with the top prize at the state Culture Center. “It may be older than that, we’re still looking but we know at least the 40s.”
The recipe, which is made up of countless ingredients, has seen some changes over the decades including the base tomato sauce was later replaced with ketchup. Tony says the chili has a great taste but can’t be made in just an instant.
“It’s the taste, it is. It’s a very great taste but it’s got so many things in it,” Tony said. “It’s not something you can throw together quickly. You’ve got to cook.”
The winner of the WV Hot Dog Sauce Contest is Paige Tony, of Calhoun County. State birthday celebrations continue at the WV Culture Center. pic.twitter.com/O9pRZEOL8o
— Carrie Hodousek (@CarrieHodousek) June 20, 2024
The chili was by no means exclusive to the confines of the family’s home, as Tony shared the impact of the sauce around her area over the years.
“We’d make gallons and gallons of it,” Tony said. “You’d get together and we would make it, and freeze it, and have it for the football games. Now we serve it at the Calhoun County Wood Festival.”
Tony and her mother were happy to see people from all over the state try their chili on Thursday, and now they want to see it served in more areas.
“This is amazing,” Tony said. “We’ve gotten it in a couple of other counties because some of us have branched off, but now, maybe when we go to events in other counties, we’ll see this sauce being sold at the athletic boosters.”
The state’s birthday party featured the cutting of the West Virginia birthday cake by the first lady and had samples of Tony’s chili for guests to try.
Tony received $500 as the winner of the contest.