Thousands of chowder lovers savored the sumptuous soups of not only the best chefs in Rhode Island but as far away as Vermont and Ireland at the 37th Annual Great Chowder Cook-Off, held this past Saturday at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. But they also had a job to do — to determine who was going to take home the coveted titles of “Best Clam” and “Best Seafood” chowder and thousands in prize money, as well as Most Spirited Team and Coolest Booth. When the battle for chowder glory ended there was one winner in both categories for the first time in the event’s history…Our House Bistro from Winooski, Vermont. The complete results are as follows:
The winners are:
The 2018 Best Clam Chowder
1st Place – Our House Bistro, Winooski, VT
2nd Place – Crowther’s Restaurant, Little Compton, RI
3rd Place – MainSail at the Newport Marriott, Newport, RI
The 2018 Best Seafood Chowder
1st Place – Our House Bistro, Winooski, VT
2nd Place – Beara Coast Hotel, Cork, Ireland
3rd Place – Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School – Culinary Program, Taunton, MA
Most Spirited Team Winner – Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School – Culinary Program, Taunton, MA
Coolest Booth Winner – Our House Bistro, Winooski, VT
“It was a memorable day as Our House Bistro took both titles and a whole lot of bragging rights back to Vermont. Congrats also to Crowther’s of Little Compton who came in second in the ‘Clam’ category after placing third last year and to Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical School for continuing its streak of placing in the top three, this time earning third in the ‘Seafood’ category,“ said Michele Maker Palmieri, Owner and President of Waterfront Productions in a press release on Tuesday,. “All in all it was a great day to take in the views of Newport Harbor while tasting the different chowders and enjoying a wide variety of entertainment.”
The original and longest-running chowder championship in the country features the recipes of award-winning chefs representing restaurants, catering companies, clam shacks and culinary schools, as well as other fun ingredients including the Matunuck Oyster Festival, the Stop & Shop Culinary Stage, live music and a variety of entertainment for all ages. Competing chefs carefully prepare 100 gallons of delicious chowder and serve samples of their creations to the thousands of chowder loving festival attendees who also serve as judges.
For more information on the Great Chowder Cook-Off, please visit www.riwaterfrontevents.com or contact by email at info@newportwaterfrontevents.com. Also become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/RIWaterfrontEvents, Instagram RIWaterfrontEvents and Twitter RIWEvents.