Today's ChowdaFest Helps the Food Bank

The mouth-watering smell of New England clam chowder wafted out of the doors of the Unitarian Church Friday in Westport – a welcome scent on a raw gray day. 

Inside, some of the best chefs in the region were scooping up sample sizes of chowders, soups, and bisques, all for a good cause.

Jim Keenan, a self-proclaimed “Chowda Head,” is the inspiration behind the second annual ChowdaFest, a two-day event that benefits the Connecticut Food Bank. Held in the days after Thanksgiving, the event continues from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today. 

Keenan who has been to a number of similar events in the summertime said ChowdaFest is perfect for the "soup season. “It’s better when it’s chilly out," he said. 

He decided to bring a chowder competition to the region, not only to benefit the food bank but because there is an abundance of eateries that create soups and chowders perfect for a tasting competition. 

Keenan’s plan was to bring the voting right to the people, rather than having a panel of experts judging the chowder.  Everyone gets a ballot, and with it the chance to choose the most delicious chowders and soups. 

“The competition is beyond friendly,” Keenan said.  “The old complaint about 'too many cooks in the kitchen’ doesn’t apply here.” 

This year’s ChowdaFest includes two chefs whose chowders have placed highly in international competitions, which, according to Keenan, “got the other chefs to tighten up their aprons a bit and really do their best work.”

It certainly looked that way, judging by the faces in the happy crowd on Friday.  Folks from 2 to 88 years old were on hand, going from table to table with their personal spoons and inquisitive tastebuds. 

The wintery concoctions from 10 different vendors each day featured varying taste combinations like roasted artichoke, chicken, and gorgonzola cheese.

Kelly Wieman, 17, raved about the variety of tastes.  “It’s so good,” she said.  “It warmed my stomach.” 

Wieman’s older brother Christopher, 22, was also at the ChowdaFest last year.  “This year has even more variety, and more people,” he said.  “Everyone seems to be in a very good mood.”

Sam Brody, 88, a church member and a WWII veteran, sat and enjoyed a sample taste after working as a volunteer in the morning.  He collected all the brochures from the different eateries, and was trying to decide which one to visit first.  Brody proclaimed, “If we did this every month, we would take care of a lot of problems.”  He loved the fact that the profits go to the hungry, and that it was such a nice way of socializing.

Neci Marr, spoon in hand, said she was “surprised at the variety of tastes.  They were all good, but some stood out.”

It was the first time at the ChowdaFest for Pam Laughlin, who was there with Marr.  She thought it was a lot of fun, and a great cause.  “I’m not normally a chowder fan,” she said, “but tasting these different varieties has made me open to the possibilities.”   

The festive event includes music.  Friday the stage featured singer/songwriter Tim Reis and Saturday The School of Rock will be entertaining the crowd between 1 and 2 p.m.

Many of the folks volunteering are members of the church, but not all.  Ryan Brandt, a high school age Unitarian Church member, was taking donations of canned goods.  Each food item entitled the donor to a chance at winning dinner for two.  State Senator Bob Duff of the Norwalk/Darien district was manning the sign-in table, along with church member Jackie Beck.  For $5 you get the all-important personal spoon and a slip on which to vote on your favorites. 

Frankly, the chowders are all so delicious that it’s tough to pick out the best.  But your intrepid Patch reporter indulged – all in the line of duty, of course – and can’t resist putting in a good word for Southport Brewing Company’s sublime Thanksgiving Bisque.  A full meal in a bowl, with turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings, including a dollop of cranberry right on top.  Yum. 

I may need to go back tomorrow.

Chowdafest is an annual fundraiser to benefit the Connecticut  Food Bank, held at the Unitarian Church in Westport on Friday Nov. 27 and Saturday Nov. 28 from 11:30 to 3:30.  It's a chowder and soup competition among over 20 area restaurants from Stamford to Milford, where the people are the judges.  Adults are $5; kids under 12 are FREE.  Those who bring a can or box of non-perishable food will be entered into a raffle for a $100 restaurant gift certificate.

The Unitarian Church in Westport is located at 10 Lyons Plain Road.