RED HOOK, Brooklyn (PIX11) – We all know that members of the FDNY are some of the best chefs around New York City.
There was a chili cookoff by New York City firefighters to prove just that.
It’s the ninth annual chili cook-off at the Friends of Firefighters decommissioned firehouse on Van Brunt Street. Dozens of firehouses fight for bragging rights and raising money for a great cause, providing free mental health and wellness services to the FDNY community since September 11, 2001.
“It was an idea about getting a community together for what they needed at the site after 9/11,” Nancy Carbone, the founder and executive director of Friends of Firefighters, told PIX11 News. “We were getting the bunting, warm socks, and a trust was built, so they asked me to open up a counseling center,” she added.
More than 200 firefighters used the counseling services last year, and now there is a waiting list.
There’s been a 300% increase in the need for counseling in the last five years, and tragically, suicide rates are also up, according to Friends of Firefighters.
The group also provides acupuncture, financial guidance, and peer groups for firefighters, present and retired, and their families.
“There’s counseling, acupuncture, and massages,” Peter Calascione, a retired firefighter, told PIX11 News.
Competing in the chili cookoff were three generations of the Calascione family.
Last year’s winner was Lucio LaDuca from Ladder 33 in University Heights in the Bronx.
“It’s all about love and patience,” Lucio LaDuca, last year’s winner, told PIX11 News.
And a crowd favorite was Red Hook’s very own firehouse, Ladder 101, Engine 202, with delicious cornbread.
“Everybody here’s a firefighter, and cooking in the firehouse is the same thing as cooking for your family at home,” Ron Simmons, firehouse chef, told PIX11 News.
The next fundraising event coming up for Friends of Firefighters, a bike ride through Ireland to raise money for mental health services.
For more information or to donate, click here.
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