Local restaurants, food trucks, and caterers have a chance to compete for trophies and promote their businesses at a student-run chili cook-off in downtown Tacoma this fall.

The South Sound Showdown, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Rhodes Center at 950 Broadway, is looking for food businesses with a commercial license to enter the competition

The chili cook-off is the capstone project of Tacoma Rising's eight-week summer business accelerator, which pairs high school and college students from Tacoma Public Schools, area high schools, and Tacoma Community College with community mentors.

The students are designing, marketing, and managing the entire event themselves.

"Instead of a simulation or a case study, they're building an actual business," founder Reid Fetters told SouthSoundBiz.com. "We believe that we can start building their network now, showing them what it takes to build a business."

The accelerator, which launched in early July, runs eight weeks through late August. Each week, an expert from the local business community teaches the cohort a specific skill tied to producing the event.

Beyond the competition, the Showdown will feature live music and a beer garden. It also doubles as a fundraiser for scholarships, grants, and awards that Tacoma Rising distributes to students and young professionals in its mentorship programs throughout the year. Sponsorship slots are open.

Tacoma Rising hosted its first business-challenge event on Thursday, Feb. 19. That competition, called "The Pitch," drew 10 small Tacoma-area businesses before a panel of local judges and awarded a $10,000 prize to micro-wedding venue Sign and Celebrate.

A free soft opening on Thursday, Aug. 27 will serve as the students' capstone presentation and dress rehearsal. Fetters will lead a live Q&A panel with the student cohort following their presentations.

Restaurants and food businesses interested in competing or sponsoring can contact Tacoma Rising at [email protected].