Still flying high after Sonofest this weekend! 🥳
We did it—Kensington Cafe won Best Vegetarian Chili! 🌶️🥇 That means our signature veggie chili is officially neighborhood-approved and crowned the best. Come by and taste the winning bowl for yourself!
We love supporting our neighborhood schools and Sonofest makes it so fun, and it’s extra special for our family since our girls are current (and former!) McKinley Elementary students. Family, chili, and community—what’s better?
Thank you, San Diego! 🫶✨ @sonofest
Our Cafe Madeleine team is so honored to win the People’s Choice Award at the Sono Fest Chili Cook-Off.
Your votes, your support, and your love mean everything to us.
We’re proud to bring this win home! ❤️🌶️
#sonofest #cafemadeleine
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD 2025 GOES TO..... 🥁
@cafemadeleine !!
Cafe Madeline has been a long time supporter of McKinley Elementary and we adore them ❤️ Well deserved honor for their delicious chili this year!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to sample, ponder over, and vote for their favorite!
Who were some of your favorite chilis this year?? (there are so many to choose from!)
Winner, winner, winner!
Drumroll please! 🥁
Here are your 2025 SoNo Fest Chili Winners in the following four categories:
🏆 BEST OVERALL: Lazy Dog!! @lazydogrestaurants
🏆 BEST VEGETARIAN: Kensington Cafe @kensingtoncafe
🏆 MOST UNIQUE: Carbon @carbonangelaskitchen
🏆 SONO'S SWEETEST: North Park Creamery @northparkcreamery
Stick around for the People's Choice announcement on the Beer Garden Stage!
GIGANTIC THANK YOU to ALL our chili competitors!! We love you so much 😭 The judges all agreed the decision to pick winners was TOUGH! You are our heros ❤️
>> swipe for the after <<
It's SONO FEST & CHILI COOK-OFF DAY! 📣
It's a beautiful day to eat chili, jam out to music, shop, drink, and groove with your community TODAY until 5 pm!
Calling all SoNo Fest Chili mug collectors! 📣
The 2025 mug is here and it's gorgeous, baby!
This year we're serving up a full sized mug, complete with our 2025 logo to add to (or start) your collection!
Buy these bad boys online and pick them up with your tasting tickets at our pre-event pick up sites before Sunday, or meet us at the Info Booth on the day of the event to get your mug! (Pre-orders can be picked up day-of, and mugs are for sale day-of until they sell out!)
3 days until your belly is full of chili!
🔗 Link in bio [ ]
🚨 Official Kouta Shimazaki appreciation post and CERAMIC BOWL SALE info ahead!
Meet Kouta. He's a ceramicist (is that a word?). A ceramic magician. A clay transformer. A pillar of the community. A friend.
He taught ceramics classes to all the students at McKinley Elementary School for years, and he also had a lil' chili cook off for his San Diego Ceramic Connection folks. In 2010 Kouta and some McKinley parents brought the school holiday fair and Kouta's chili cook off together... and SoNo Fest was born ✨
Get your one of a kind, handmade ceramic bowl and SoNo Fest Chili tasting pass!
🗓️ THIS FRIDAY, 12/5
⏰ from 6-8 pm
📍 SD Ceramic Connection: 3216 Thorn Street
Ceramic bowls will also be available at the Community Chili event at SD Ceramic Connection on Saturday, 12/4 from 1 - 4 pm, and on Sunday, 12/5 at SoNo Fest starting at 11 am until they are sold out! 🥣
Get your fill of chili and still hungry in the Beer Garden? Never fear - @buonaforchettasouthpark is BACK BABY! They'll be serving up hot & tasty pizzas all day long at this year's SoNo Fest just for you!
Did you know Matteo started the arts program at McKinley Elementary by donating enough funds for us to hire a teacher and buy supplies for all the kiddos? Yes, we ❤️ him. And we can't wait to see his smile as he slings pizzas at this year's SoNo and donates all the sales $$ to support even more arts programming!
See you all on Sunday! 🍕
Cheers to the tastiest lil' beer garden at the biggest little street fest in town! At SoNo Fest you can enjoy a cold beverage in between chili tastings, as you savor the sounds of live music from the Beer Garden Stage. BIG shout out to our generous booze donors! (and a few special guest star beverages are coming in hot... don't miss it 😉)
See you all THIS SUNDAY!!
12/7/25
11 am - 5 pm
32nd St & Thorn St
🚨 SoNo Fest is 13 days away and OUR TASTE BUDS ARE READY...
Don't miss the fun and the flavor!
Check out some of our chili makers and get that mouth watering 💦
🗓️ Sunday, December 7th
⏰ 11 am - 5 pm
📍32nd Street & Thorn Street
🗺️ North Park, San Diego
This is a free-to-attend event with live music, a kids zone, booze garden, food trucks and artisan vendors!
Buy tickets to participate in the EPIC chili Cook-Off and get a pass for 5 tastes - then you be the judge of who will get the fame and glory and Best Chili trophy this year 🏆
Lots more info on our website (🔗 in bio)
Who are you bringing to SoNo Fest this year??
SoNo Fest sponsors keep our ticket prices reasonable while still helping us reach our fundraising goals - let's SUPPORT OUR SUPPORTERS and show them the love ❤️
Improve your home life with these 2025 SoNo Fest sponsors 🏡:
• LUXE Bidet @luxebidet will improve your toilet time and reduce TP purchases 🚽
• Renewal by Andersen @renewalbyandersen will install shiny new windows to brighten your view of 2026, and don't forget to address your plumbing needs with Community Plumbing @my_community_plumbing and get that roof repaired or replaced with Dennis Cook Roofing! 🪟 🪠 🏠
• If you have home project needs, big or small, be sure to call VanBerg Construction @vanberg_construction or Coder Construction @coderconstruction - both come highly recommended by many folks in the neighborhood! 🔨
• Tecture @tecture will help you with design and fabrication, so you have less to manage! 🎨
• And the finishing touch of low-maintenance turf installed quickly and professionally by woman-owned Big Bully Turf @bigbullyturf will earn you major curb appeal points! 🌱
Huge shout-out to these awesome SoNo Fest Sponsors! 🫂
![Calling all SoNo Fest Chili mug collectors! The 2025 mug is here and it's gorgeous, baby!This year we're serving up a full sized mug, complete with our 2025 logo to add to (or start) your collection!Buy these bad boys online and pick them up with your tasting tickets at our pre-event pick up sites before Sunday, or meet us at the Info Booth on the day of the event to get your mug! (Pre-orders can be picked up day-of, and mugs are for sale day-of until they sell out!)3 days until your belly is full of chili! Link in bio [ ]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6729262268554049187065_0_55b5f94e1a5a8d09e4377f7ebabf0514.jpg?o=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&h=fb828b5589cc260fae766e554a87633c)
