Chowdafest 2016: 40 Chefs Compete on October 2nd

Award wining chefs from every New England state and thousands of discernible foodies from all over descend on Westport CT on the first Sunday in October to determine who has the best chowder, soup & bisque in New England.  

Chowdafest will be held on Sunday October 2, 2106 at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport CT from 11AM to 3PM.  The event will feature 40 restaurants from all over New England and as far away at Seattle.  The festival features four categories of competition:  Classic New England Clam Chowder, Traditional Chowder exclusively for Rhode Island (clear broth) and Manhattan Clam Chowders (tomato based), Creative Chowders and Soup & Bisque.  Attendees receive a spoon, ballot and pencil when they arrive.  They enjoy unlimited sampling and rate each entry on a scale from 7 to 10.5 with half point intervals.  Restaurants with the highest overall average in their respective categories will be declared New England champions. 

Tickets are still just $15 adults, $5 kids (6-12) and parking is free.  Tickets include unlimited sampling as well as tastings in the Italian themed “Ciao”dafest section where you can sample freshly baked artisan breads, dip it in premium pasta sauces and enjoy a “MINI”strone soup.  You can also sample premium chips and salsas plus a hatch green chili stew in the“ChowdaMex” section.  You can sample juices, teas, sparkling beverages and more plus there's a sweet treat section that includes cheese, yogurt, cookies and farm fresh milk & ice cream – all included.  

Chowdafest's 2016 goal is to raise enough to fund over a half million meals in the ongoing fight against hunger.  Chowdafest is also a model of sustainability as it's a zero waste event where everything is composted resulting in near zero garbage.

For additional information about Chowdafest, please visit www.chowdafest.org or email event director, Jim Keenan at chowdafest@gmail.com