Tickets are now on sale for the 11th Annual Chowdafest competition presented by Stop & Shop. It will be held at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport Connecticut on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018 from 11am – 3pm. “Come early and definitely come hungry” can often be heard from Jim Keenan, executive director of the event. Purchase tickets here.
Each year, a record-breaking crowd attends to determine which restaurants have the best chowder, soup & bisque in New England. Chowdafest features up to 40 award-winning restaurants in five different categories: Best New England clam chowder, Best Traditional clam chowder (reserved for Manhattan, Rhode Island and Shoreline clam chowders only), Best Creative Chowder, Best Soup & Bisque and Best Vegetarian entry (can be a chowder, soup or bisque). Keenan says the categories are necessary as you can't compare a New England clam chowder to lobster bisque to chicken noodle soup.
Yankee Magazine has named Chowdafest as one of the “top events of the season” for the past two years and also named it just one of eight “not to be missed events in 2018”. Adults and kids alike are an official judge, enjoying unlimited sampling and rating everything on a scale from 7 to 10.5. The highest average rating in each category is declared a champion. Unlike many food competitions with a selected panel of judges determines the winners, Chowdafest prides itself on being a true people's choice event as well as being a “true value”, said Keenan. “Where else can you enjoy unlimited sampling, plus our incredible Italian and Mexican themed sections, free beverages and a sweet treats section, all for just 20 clams?” Kids ages 6-12 are just $5 and parking is free.
Last year, Chowdafest set an attendance record for the 10th straight year. Attendees literally traveled from all over the country to Connecticut, the chowder capital of New England, to be an official judge. “We've grown from just a few hundred people when we first started to tens of thousands, even selling out hotels,” said Keenan. The event even features a “Stay & Slurp” hotel and ticket deal which can be found on their website.
“It's great to see people come back year after year and bring more friends with them to share the experience,” Keenan said. More people also means more money will be raised in the fight against food insecurity. Last year, Chowdafest funded over a half million meals for the hungry through Food Rescue US resulting in over 2 million meals since the competition's inception.