In South Louisiana Mondays are the day for red beans and rice.

Local fire departments have taken this one step forward by hosting an United Way fundraiser paying homage to this tradition.

For six years, Fire District 1 has hosted a red beans and rice cook off on the east side of the parish. This year, Fire District 4 in Mandeville and Fire District 12 in Covington decided to get into the red bean action.

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The first ever West St. Tammany Red Beans and Rice Cookoff was held Monday at St. Timothy’s United Methodist Church.

For $75 a team could enter in their best pot of beans using canned beans from Blue Runner.

They had a choice of red beans or navy beans, Creole cream style or New Orleans Spicy Cream Style, but they had to use one case of Blue Runner Beans in their batch for judging. For $8 attendees could eat their fill of beans, voting for their favorite.

The agencies that benefit from United Way provided the desserts for the event.

People’s Choice Awards were given to the teams that raised the most money.

St. Tammany Parish Hospital’s team took home that honor.

Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney, owners of Corks-N-Canvas in Mandeville voted on which team had the best decorated booth, and Habitat for Humanity took home that award with Whitney National Bank receiving an honorable mention.

Mandeville Mayor Donald Villere, Mandeville Councilman Jerry Coogan, Mandeville Seafood Festival President Bill Dobson, Northshore Business Council member Pat Brister and local chef Pete Kusiw voted on the best beans, using a blind taste test.

The firemen proved that their talents reach beyond being able to put out fires and save lives as Fire District 9 won the grand prize and Fire District 4 brought home third place.

Winn Dixie took second place for chef Robert Sykes’ beans.