Fire District Crew to Cook Up Storm at Fundraiser

Show up at restaurant in Ignacio on Sept. 24 and you find the place en fuego. The top cooks from the will serve some special treats and even mix a few drinks as a fundraiser for the Novato Fire Foundation.

Award-winning chef Marvin Blandon, an engineer at Station 65 at Hamilton, said he and the Novato Fire Chili Co. volunteers will take a break from chili and instead focus on tamales for the fundraiser.

“I’m taking a traditional tamale and tweaking it a bit,” Blandon said. “A lot of it is a surprise.”

The fire crew also will make mojitos at the bar.

The requested donations are $10 for a tamale plate and $5 for a mojito, but muy gordo donations would be greatly appreciated.

Blandon is part of a team of cooks that have competed on behalf of Novato Fire at events and cookoffs all over California. Captain Doug Fernandez and engineer Scott Michalik (Station 64), firefighter-paramedic Marc Teldeschi (Station 65) and engineer Owen Valuch (Station 62) also shared their expertise.

On Wednesday, Blandon and the crew received three first-place awards at the Chili Cookoff, beating 10 other competitors, Blandon said.

Blandon added that Novato Fire Chili Co. plans to continue offering its good at local festivals and might be pairing up with a spice company for some promotions.

Maya Palenque is at 349 Enfrente Road in Ignacio, just off the Entrada Drive exit of Highway 101. The restaurant will be open as usual with it’s normal Mexican dishes, and Novato Fire’s specialty treats will be served from 5-10 p.m.