Competition was heated at Saturday's Datil Pepper Restaurant Cook-Off

South Beach Grill, The Reef, Berndt Ends BBQ, 2 Creeks Bar and Grill and Hurricane Patty’s were the winners of this year’s Datil Pepper Fall Festival Restaurant Cook-off, which was held Saturday at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension St. Johns County Agricultural Center.

Restaurants participating in the cook-off included 2 Creeks Bar and Grill, Hurricane Patty’s, The Reef, Luvin O-Van, Berndt Ends BBQ, the Hyppo Café, South Beach Grill and La Herencia Cafe.

The restaurants competed for their best datil-inspired appetizer and entrée in a professional and people’s choice division.

The professional division judges included Chef Ashraf Chehata, Jeff Osborne, Rhonda Serra Nobles, and First Coast News’ Jeff Valin, Jessica Clark and Mike Prangley.

The Reef’s Crab Cake Ibiza Salad won first place for appetizer, and South Beach Grill’s Datil Hot Chicken and Waffles won first for the entrée in the professional division.

The people’s choice division was judged by the participating festival attendees.

Berndt Ends BBQ won appetizer for their Datil Brisket Burnt Ends/Smoked Datil Macaroni and Cheese. Hurricane Patty's Datil Glazed Shrimp and Floibbean Rice tied with 2 Creeks Bar and Grill’s Datil Pepper Chicken for first place in the entree category of the People's Choice division.

Saturday also featured the Amateur Datil Pepper Hot Sauce Competition. The year, 17 hot sauces were judged in the competition. Hot sauce judges included Ed Drugo, Jim Hindman and Jesse Dowling.

The first-place winner was Joe Saey for his sauce, Datil Joe, and honorable mention went to Vicki R Ochs for her sauce Smoked Datil with Champagne Mango and Sweet Potato.

Sunday featured two new competitions, the Amateur Datil Jam and Jelly Contest and the Professional Hot Sauce Competition.

The Amateur Datil Jam and Jelly Contest had 11 entries. Sacha Ballard and Bill McIntosh judged the competition and picked Angela Hubbard as first place winner for her Mama’s Angel Jelly, and honorable mention was given to Brandi Turner for her Fruity Caribbean Pepper Jelly.

The Professional Hot Sauce Competition saw participating vendors competing for best datil hot sauce. The professional competition was judged by the festival attendees. More than 20 sauces were entered in the competition, and the winner was the Mayhem Brothers for their Minorcan Mayhem Datil Pepper Hot Sauce.

The Datil Pepper Fall Festival is held every year on the first weekend in October. For information, go to stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu.