Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen Chili Cook-Off: Toms River P.D. wins third in-a-row

Don’t mess with the Toms River Police Department.

Especially when it comes to making good chili. The Toms River squad won their third-in-a-row Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen first responders Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Soul Kitchen in Toms River.

The cook off was part of the Soul Kitchen’s Make a Difference Day fundraising event.

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“There’s nothing secret about it,” said Officer P.J. Gambardella of the Toms River P.D.'s chili. “Whenever we do the chili, we use fresh ingredients, all organic, non GMOs and it’s all natural.”

The Toms River Fire Department, Company No. 1, finished second, and the Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC) came in third.

“Each year (the recipe) gets tweaked a little bit,” Gambardella said. “Last year it was a little hotter and this year we had a little more spice, it wasn’t as hot. It’s a nice balance. Some people like their chili hot, some people like it mild.”

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Jon Bon Jovi, who was on hand, is a fan of the Toms River P.D. chili as he voted for the guys last year. This year, he cast his vote for another company.

“He’s a super nice guy,” Gambardella said. “I met him a few times and he shakes everybody’s hand, he takes pictures and he tastes everybody’s chili. He chooses his favorite each year — I think his vote counts as a tiebreaker. He jokes around. One of my guys brought up a record for him to sign and he’ll do anything for anybody. He’ll give you the shirt off his back.”

At the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen restaurants of Toms River and Red Bank, diners either volunteer hours or a pay a donation for their meals. About 47 percent of the customers volunteer hours and the restaurants have served more than 75,000 meals.

The Soul Kitchen in Toms River is located inside the B.E.A.T. Center on Hooper Avenue, where Fulfill, formerly the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and the People’s Pantry also offer services, including information on obtaining food stamps, affordable healthcare, tax preparation and participation in culinary training classes.

“The best thing about this event is that it raises money for the Soul Kitchens and it raises awareness about hunger in Monmouth and Ocean counties,” Gambardella said.

Chris Jordan: cjordan@app.com; @chrisfhjordan