Recipe: Butternut Shrimp Bisque

Shell & Bones Oyster Bar

Chef Arturo Franco-Camacho's 

Butternut Shrimp Bisque

Butternut Shrimp Bisque
Recipe by: Chef Arturo Franco-Camacho
For Shell and Bones Oyster Bar

One of my favorite things about being a part of the Connecticut media and blog community is that I get to go to some fabulous events, meet some amazing people, and sample some delicious food.

This year I covered New England's #1 Chowder Festival, Connecticut's own ChowdaFest held back in October at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport Connecticut. To give you an idea of how big that was, the Food Network was also there covering the event ... and I was one of the event photographers that had to sign an official release form for them to potentially use my photographs from past years!  

While my photos will likely never be used - it was thrilling to be a part of the media coverage for the event.

One of my favorite tastes of the event was the incredibly good Butternut Shrimp Bisque prepared by Chef Arturo Franco-Camacho as his entry for Shell and Bones Oyster Bar and Grill out of New Haven CT.  It packed some amazing flavor, and although it didn't win in the Bisque Category, I felt it was one of the best "tastes" of the day. 

Shell and Bones is one of my favorite places to visit, especially in the warmer weather because of their waterfront views, and, of course, because of their amazing food. But they're not just limited to summer dining, their menu changes seasonally and even on a warm spring or cool fall day you can sit outside and enjoy great company and gorgeous views.

Long time readers will remember my visit for the launch of the 2016 Fall New Haven Restaurant Week and the incredible food that Chef Franco-Camacho prepared on that visit. (Read it HERE)

Samplings from Chef Arturo Franco-Camacho
 for Shell & Bones New Haven Restaurant Week Launch 2016

And as a special treat - I have the recipe for the delicious bisque from Chef's ChowdaFest 2017 entry! That's right - I reached out to Shell & Bone's PR agency who were able to procure the recipe from Chef Franco-Camacho himself, - and I received special permission to share it with all of you!

Butternut Shrimp Bisque

Shell & Bones Oyster Bar & Grill – Executive Chef Arturo Franco-Camacho

Serves 4-6

Seafood:

2 cups Shrimp Shells Stock

1 cup Shrimp Meat, Fresh Cooked

Produce:

4 cups butternut squash

3 Celery Ribs

2 ea Leeks

1 ea Shallot, minced

1 sprig thyme

Spices:

1 pinch Black Pepper

1 pinch Cayenne Pepper

½ tsp sea salt

Oils:

1 tbsp olive oil

Dairy:

1 cup half & half

Liquor:

1/3 cup Cognac

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the leeks, shallot and celery with a pinch of salt. Allow the vegetables to sweat for a few minutes. Add the butternut squash and cook for several more minutes, stirring.
2. Turn the heat up and add the cognac to deglaze the pan, allow the alcohol to reduce to almost to nothing and add the shrimp stock.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil and then cover the pot and reduce the heat to a low. Allow the soup to simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Stir in Half & Half, 1 tbsp of cognac, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add the shrimp meat.

Serve Hot.

Optional Garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds

About Shell & Bones Oyster Bar

Shell & Bones Oyster Bar, located on the waterfront in the historic City Point area of New Haven, Connecticut, offers the finest in seafood and steak, receiving accolades from Connecticut Magazine, New Haven Living Magazine and a “Very Good” review from The New York Times since opening in July 2015.  Acclaimed Executive Chef Arturo Franco-Camacho incorporates fresh and sustainable ingredients to present new takes on classic dishes, including his award-winning New England Clam Chowder, with all soups, stocks, sauces and desserts made in-house.  In addition to its cuisine, Shell & Bones offers an extensive wine and beer list and creative cocktail menu, with several beers, liquors and wines sourced locally in Connecticut.

The restaurant features both indoor and outdoor waterfront dining with an indoor fireplace and outdoor fire pits, complimentary parking and private event space.  Shell & Bones is open for dinner seven days a week, and offers Brunch Friday-Sunday beginning at 11:00am.  For more information, visit http://shellandbones.com/.  The restaurant can also be found on Facebook (ShellandBones) and Instagram (shellandbonesoysterbarandgrill).   

Shell & Bones

100 S Water Street
New Haven, CT 06519
(203) 787-3466

http://shellandbones.com/

ChowdaFest 2016 Results

ChowdaFest 2016 Results are in!

Congratulations to everyone who participated - each and every chowder was fabulous!

The votes have been tabulated - and there can be only three winners in each category.  Here they are:

ChowdaFest CT Best New England Clam Chowder

The best of the traditional New England Chowders!

1. First Place to Pike Place Chowder who successfully defended their title as best New England clam chowder.
2. Finishing second was 250 Market from Portsmouth NH
3. Take Five Cookery in third.

ChowdaFest CT Best Creative Chowder

Who used the most creative ingredients!

1. First Place goes to  Our House Bistro from Winooski VT who also defended their 2015 title for best creative chowder. 
2. Newcomers Gaffneys, champions from Saratoga Springs NY finished in a strong second place.
3. Smithsonian Cafe and Chowder House from Massachusetts finished third preventing any CT restaurant from the podium in this category.

ChowdaFest CT Best Traditional Chowder

CT restaurants took all three top spots in the Traditional category!

1. First Place goes to The Clam Castle of Madison taking the top spot with their Rhode Island clam chowder. 
2. Defending champ, Dunvilles Restaurant was the second runner up their Manhattan clam chowder
3. A third place TIE between Chef's Table of Fairfield with their Rhode Island clam chowder and Parallel Post with their Gluten Free Manhattan Clam Chowder!

ChowdaFest CT Soup and Bisque Category

CT also took all top spots in the soup and bisque category.

1. First Place goes to Crab Shell Restaurant of Stamford who after a two year hiatus, secured their place in Chowdafest lore by winning with their lobster bisque! 
2. Old Post Tavern had their best finish ever, finishing 2nd with their truffle mushroom bisque. 
3. Sam's American Bistro rounded out the top three with a spiced chocolate bisque!

Special thanks to all the volunteers who make this event a success! Starting with the big ChowdaHead himself, Jim Keenan ...

Artist Wendy Marciano who designed this year's award plaques, 

... the many volunteers who turn out, and the student organizations from Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University!

This event wouldn't be possible without each and everyone of them!

And a huge thank you 

to the many sponsors of ChowdaFest Connecticut!

For more pictures of the event 
visit the Home Place facebook page HERE

and while you're there - don't forget to "like" us!

Connecticut Announces ChowdaTrail!

Announcing Connecticut's Newest Trail

Connecticut has nearly 30 trails where people can find and visit such places as the state's wineries, breweries, even antiques.  There are also food trails that feature pizza, burgers and chocolate.  Joining the state's culinary trails is the new Chowda Trail.

Unlike most trails, the Chowda Trail is a living, breathing trail that changes annually to reflect where people can find the incredible chowders, soups and bisque entered in Chowdafest, the largest culinary competition in New England held annually in Connecticut.

“Only one other state has a chowder trail...” said Jim Keenan, the Chowda Trail creator.  “...and it's Oregon.  New England is renown for its chowder so it was only natural to create a unique chowder trail here in the northeast.”

Keenan worked with the Connecticut State Department of Tourism to help launch the trail on their recently redesigned website.  “The state did a remarkable job revitalizing their CT Visit.com website and making it so inviting.  It's visually enticing, loaded with great attractions, events and things to do for residents and non-residents alike.  We're thrilled to be their latest trail as 32 of the 40 stops are right here in CT”.

The Chowda Trail creation coincides with the peak summer travel season where people are vacationing, especially driving the coast of New England.  “People email and call us all the time seeking chowder recommendations” Keenan said.  “New England clam chowder and lobster bisque are the most popular requests but discernible foodies also look for something different like a spicy Bermuda conch chowder or a non-seafood  chowder like a chicken and poblano chowder.  Having the Chowda Trail online where they can look it up and try some of these great restaurants made a lot of sense.”

The Chowda Trail is supported by AAA and Yankee Magazine and can be found online at: http://www.ctvisit.com/listings/chowda-trail   The site also includes information on the New England Chowdafest presented by Stop & Shop as well as a “Stay & Chow(da)” hotel and ticket promotion.

Photo Source CT State Department of Tourism http://www.ctvisit.com/listings/chowda-trail

The 9th Annual Chowdafest competition will be held on Sunday October 2, 2016 at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport CT and will once again showcase 40 restaurants representing every New England state, 8 states in total.  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 over all average in their respective categories will be declared best in New England.

Chowdafest features four categories of competition with ten restaurants competing in each:

1. Classic New England Clam Chowder (cream/milk based)
2. Traditional Chowder exclusively for Rhode Island (clear broth) and 
3. Manhattan Clam Chowders (red, tomato based), 
4. Creative Chowders and Soup & Bisques

Chowdafest raised enough to fund over 400,000 meals for the ongoing fight against hunger last year and is shooting to provide for over a half million meals this fall.  Chowdafest is also a zero waste event and a national model for event sustainability.  

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

Chowdafest, presented by Stop & Shop, is sponsored by: AAA Northeast, Aquafina, BlumShapiro, Cabot Creamery, Chabaso Bakery, City Carting, Clover, CT Bites, Dannon, The Farmer's Cow, Frontera Foods, HamletHub,  Jersey Italian Gravy, Kids Helping Kids, Local Food Rocks, MINI of Fairfield County, New Milford Farms, Ocean Spray, Omnom, Schweppes, Sustainable America, Visa, WEBE 108, Webster Bank, Westminster Bakery, Wholly Guacamole, World Centric and Yankee Magazine.

© Home Place

ChowdaFest CT 2015 Recap and Winners

Social Media Promotion

A record crowd of 8,500 gathered to judge the annual Chowdafest competition that featured 38 restaurants from 12 different states, slurping down a record 1,500+ gallons of chowder, soup and bisque in determining which is the best in New England.  Awards were won by restaurants from 8 different states. 

“The voting was extraordinarily close this year versus previous years” said Jim Keenan, event director.  “I expected as much with the invitation of award winning restaurants from other states.  The level of competition was extremely high.  In some cases, just a tenth of a point or less determined the winners and only a half point separated the top from the bottom in some  categories”.  

Everyone who attends Chowdafest is a judge and is encouraged to rate each entry they try on a scale from 7 to 10 with half pt intervals.  “This is a true people's choice event.  Winners aren't determined by a food critic but by you and I' said Keenan. Thousands of ballots are then scanned to determine the average rating and the restaurants with the highest rating in each category is declared the winner.

Chowdafest, presented by Stop & Shop, is the largest competition of it's kind in New England as no other event represents every New England state, showcases as many restaurants plus attracts so many people.   In other words, ChowdaFest 2015 at Sherwood Island was a Clam Slam!
Or Corn Slam!
Or Bisque Slam!
Good Lord - every soup, bisque, and chowder I sampled deserved a grand-slam prize!

And to top it off - it was a beautiful sunny day, perfectly enjoyed at the new location of Sherwood Island, which featured plenty of parking and a beautiful view of Long Island Sound. The Chowder Gods certainly smiled down on us!

But every competition - must have a winner! And here are the results of the 2015 ChowdaFest held at Sherwood Island in Westport CT on Saturday, October 11th.

2015 ChowdaFest New England Clam Chowder Winners

CHAMPION: Pike Place Chowder of Seattle Washington

Pike Place Chowder

2nd Place Sedona Restaurant of Norwalk Connecticut

3rd Place Luke's Lobster/Hurricanes  of NYC and Maine

Sedona and Luke's Lobster/Hurricanes Chowder

2015 Traditional Chowder Winners

CHAMPION: Dunvilles ofWestport CT

2nd Place: Stefano's of Long Beach Island, NJ

3rd Place: GROW of Shelton, CT

Stefano's

2015 ChowdaFest Creative Chowder Winners

CHAMPION: Our House Bistro of  Winosk VT

Our House Bistro from Vermont

2nd Place: Ri Ra of Portsmouth NH

3rd Place: Smithsonian Chowder House of North Hampton MA

Ri Ra and Smithsonian

2015 ChowdaFest Soup/Bisque Winners

CHAMPION: Simply Delicious of Norwalk CT

2nd Place: Post 154 of Westport CT

3rd Place: Bobby Q's of Westport CT

Bobby Q's and Post 154

While expenses are still in the process of being finalized, Keenan reports that they'll provide Community Plates enough to fund at least 100,000 meals for the food insecure which is another event record  Community Plates is a 501-c3 non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating hunger through the rescue of food from grocery stores, restaurants and farms, then delivers it to the myriad of shelters in need. 

Chowdafest also raised $750 for the Friends of Sherwood Island through the sale of muffin tins that were used as sample holders.  FOSI is a non-profit group dedicated to supporting and enhancing the state park.  "I'm glad we could do something for this worthwhile group" said Keenan.  "We could have done more but we ran out of tins.  I like the tin holder concept because of it's sustainability.  People bought two for $5 and got to take them home to use afterward.  Plus you can't buy one for under $8 in a store so it was a good deal for all involved".




Dunkin Donuts was busy sampling fall flavored coffees and munckin treats.  Ocean Spray and Aquafina were handing out juices, teas and water to thirsty event goers.  Stop & Shop sampled both their New England clam chowder and their lobster bisque demonstrating their soups are restaurant quality.  MINI of Fairfield County held a customer appreciation promotion and had 60 MINI's road rally their way to Chowdafest.  They also sponsored the "MINIstrone" tent in the Italian themed Ciao-dafest section

The Great Volunteers - The Sacred Heart Pioneers

Chowdafest also set a record for the composting over 4 tons of food waste.  "Every year, we get closer to having zero waste.  Hopefully next year we'll do even better"  The sustainablility efforts were supported by City Carting who provided receptacles and provided the carting, New Milford Farms who composted the waste, Vegware who supplied the compostable cups & spoons and Sustainable America of Stamford who oversaw our efforts.
New this year were the handcrafted trophies designed by Shelton artist, Wendy Marciano.  The nautically themed trophies were made from materials found along the shoreline and were displayed in a separate awards tent for all to see during the event.  "The chefs really loved them" Keenan said.  "The awards will be showcased at their restaurants as the piece of art they are.  Handcrafted, one of kind trophies for handcrafted chowder or soup from one of a kind chefs".

Chowdafest's other food sampling areas were very popular too as attendees sampled Ocean Spray Craisins, a variety of cheese from Cabots Creamery, Italian eats at the Ciao-dafest section, salsa & chips from Taco Mexico in Norwalk along with Tostito's chips & salsas in the ChowdMex section.  The Farmer's Cow was busy sampling ice cream and lemonade made from CT farms.  Kids of all ages sampled the many flavors of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. Every restaurant gave out the famous oyster cracker from Westminster Bakery.

Volunteers and Vendors

AAA offered free emergency service to anyone needing it in the parking lot and nearly 25% of everyone who bought a ticket did so with a AAA discount.  Courtyard by Marriott had several "stay and chow" customers who spent the weekend and enjoyed Chowdafest.  The hotel also hosted several of the out of state restaurants.  Kid's Helping Kids operated the successful ChowdaKids section, orchestrating fun kids activities.  PEZ, headquartered in Orange CT, was on hand handing out their Halloween dispensers and giving discounts to their visitor center. WEBE 108 promoted the event with on-air ticket give-aways and those who attended were given a free issue of The Beat Magazine which included a wonderful feature on Chowdafest.

"I'd like to thank our incredible restaurants who brought their "A" game and made this the most competitive competition yet.  Thank you to Stop & Shop and all our incredible sponsors, who support this event year after year.  But most of all, my thanks goes out to the myriad of volunteers who do so much in helping us make this a record breaking event.  They include the student athletes from Sacred Heart and Fairfield Universities.  The Wakeman's boys and girls club.  The Service League of Boys from Staples High School.  My good friends from the Unitarian Church in Westport, my brothers Mike & Tom and of course my wife and daughter who without their help, our continued success would not be possible" noted Keenan 

Fun at ChowdaFest 2015!

Once again, another great chowdafestival thanks to Stop and Shop, the ChowdaFest people, and all the restaurants, vendors, and volunteers who supported the cause!

Jim has rounded up some great sponsors and pulled in some great volunteers - and the rest, as they say is Chowdahistory!

Save the date! 

10-2-16 at Sherwood Island for next year's ChowdaFest 16!

For more pictures visit the Home Place facebook page

HERE 

and while you're there, don't forget to "like us"!

For more on ChowdaFest vist www.chowdafest.org/

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend ChowdaFest as a social media representative, however all views are my own.

ChowdaFest Connecticut moves to Sherwood Island for October 11 2015 Cook-Off

New location! Same rules! You be the judge! ChowdaFest CT!

Chowdafest, presented by Stop & Shop, officially announces their 2015 competition will be held Sunday October 11th at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport CT.

EVENT DETAILS:

Sunday October 11, 2015     11AM - 3PM
Sherwood Island State Park - Westport, CT
Conveniently off exit #18 off I-95

Adults $15
Kids (6-12) $5
and FREE Parking!

The convenience of the park with its own highway exit and three lanes both in and out of the park was a major factor in the relocation decision from Norwalk where Chowdafest was held last fall.

UPDATED: List of Participants and their chowdahs!

* Curried Crab & Lemongrass  Chowder – The Chelsea (Fairfield, CT)
* Sweet Potato Clam Chowder – Cask Republic (New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, CT)
* Surf & Turf Chowder – Octagon Steakhouse (Mystic CT)
* Creamy Fennel Chowder – ON20 (Hartford, CT)
* Fried Seafood & Sweet Potato Chowder – Our House Bistro (Winooski VT)
* Sweet Corn & Pepper Clam Chowder – Parallel Post (Trumbull, CT)
* Seafood Chowder – Ri Ra Irish Pub (Portsmouth, NH, Portland ME)
* Corn & Mussel Chowder – Southport Brewing Co. (Southport, Milford, CT)
* Seafood Chowder – Smithsonian Chowder House (North Hampton, MA)
* Shrimp & Chorizo Chowder - The Spread (South Norwalk, CT)

The soup and bisque category will also whet appetites and includes:

* Cowboy Brisket Soup – Bobby Q's (Westport, CT)
* Chicken Tortilla Soup – Geronimo (Fairfield, New Haven, CT)
* Chicken Marsala Soup – Liquid Lunch (Milford, Shelton CT)
* Thanksgiving Day Bisque – Local Kitchen & Beer Bar (Fairfield, Norwalk, CT)
* Lobster Bisque – Old Post Tavern (Fairfeld, CT)
* Minestrone Puree – Osteria Romana (Norwalk, CT)
* Golden Corn Bisque – Post 154 (Westport, CT)
* Roasted Banana Pepper and White Bean Bisque – Sam's American Bistro (Stamford, CT)
* Creole Clam Bisque – Simply Delicious (Norwalk, CT)
* Seafood Cilantro Bisque – Tikkaway (New Haven, CT)

“We've become a true destination event attracting thousands of food lovers from all over New England including bus tours so making it easy to get to and from Chowdafest was a priority” said Jim Keenan, event director.  “We're excited showcase Connecticut's oldest and finest state park.  I'd like to thank the park authority along with the Friends of Sherwood Island, a non-profit association dedicated to preserving and improving Sherwood Island, in helping secure the park for this marquee event.”

This year's Chowdafest competition will feature restaurants from every New England state, twelve states in total.  The Chowdafest invite committee continually attends local and regional chowder competitions, stays atop of restaurant reviews plus visits restaurants all year long to find the best competition.  “When you accept an invitation to compete in Chowdafest, you know you're going up against some incredible culinary talent which is important if you're to be called best chowder, soup or bisque in New England” Keenan added.

The competition level has never been higher as it now includes America's #1 Chowder.  According to DishTip.com, Pike Place Chowder from Seattle is generally acknowledged as America's #1 chowder as no restaurant competes more on a national level and wins so many awards as they do.  “We started winning city-wide competitions, then state-wide competitions and finally competitions up & down the west coast but everyone said that's nice but can we beat anyone from New England?” said Larry Mellum, founder and owner. “That made us wonder whether we could.  We entered the Great Chowder Cook-Off in Newport RI and won that three times, even getting enshrined into their hall of fame.  Now the question is can we win at Chowdafest?  This looks to be a very competitive field. We honored to be included.” said Mellum

Pike's competition in the New England clam chowder category includes Donovan's of Norwalk CT who is defending their title for the fourth straight event, Dunville's of Westport CT who is entering this category for the first time having won the Traditional category, rookie Little Barn of Westport, the infamous Luke's Lobster of NYC, O'Neil's of Norwalk CT who placed 2nd last year, first timer Olio on Hope from Stamford CT, the popular Rory's of Darien CT and local favorite The Restaurant at Rowyaton Seafood plus new comer Shell & Bones of New Haven.

Chowdafest has a separate category reserved just for Manhattan (red) and Rhode Island (clear) chowders.  “The competition in this category has gotten personal” said Keenan.  The category includes restaurants from Rhode Island and Manhattan defending the honor of their namesake chowders.  “No one makes a better Rhode Island chowder than someone from Rhode Island” said Perry Raso of Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingston RI who are no stranger to winning chowder competitions. Rounding out the Rhode Island chowder competition includes shoreline favorite Bill's Seafood of Westbrook CT, the popular Finn's Harborside from Warrick RI, new comer Chefs' Table of Fairfield CT and local favorite Uberti's in Stratford CT.

The Manhattan side of this category gets even more competitive. It includes The Soup Spot of West 31st Street, NY defending Manhattan's honor against an award winning list that includes Vermont's Reservoir Restaurant and Tap Room, recently named best Manhattan clam chowder in New England by Yankee Magazine.  It also inlcudes three time defending Long Beach Island Chowderfest champion Stefano's plus defending champion Gray Goose of Fairfield CT. Grow, a soon to be opened new restaurant in Shelton owned by Liquid Lunch and will be using their Manhattan clam chowder recipe that came in second the past two years featuring fresh produce from Stone Garden Farms in Shelton .

Six of the ten restaurants are new to the Creative Chowder category and will put defending champion, The Spread in Norwalk, to the test.  Reigning Mystic chowder champion, Octagon Steakhouse, has a culinary pedigree that makes them a strong contender to win it all.  Vermont Chowder champs, Our House Bistro from Burlington along with award winning Smithsonian Chowderhouse from North Hampton MA won't make winning easy for anyone.  The competition also includes The Chelsea from Fairfield, a three time category winner Ginger Man of Norwalk and Greenwich, Ri Ra Irish Pub of Portsmouth NH and Portland ME, the highly acclaimed On20 from Hartford, a multi-Chowdafest-winner SBC of Southport, Milford and Brandford plus Simply Delicious of Norwalk.

The Soup & Bisque category features many past Chowdafest favorites including Cask Republic of Stamford and New Haven, Liquid Lunch of Shelton and Milford, Local Kitchen and Beer Bar of Norwalk and Fairfield, Old Post Tavern of Fairfield, Parallel Post of Trumbull, defending champion Soup Thyme of Monroe  plus Tikkaway of New Haven who had the highest rated bisque last year.  New in this category is Sam's American Bistro of Stamford, Geronimo of Fairfield and New Haven plus Osteria Romanna in Norwalk.  This category is wide open as the talent and creativity are so high that there is no clear cut favorite.

Chowdafest raises funds for Community Plates, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating hunger through the rescue of food from restaurants, grocery stores and farms.  Attendees pay to be a judge.  Kids and adults alike get a spoon, ballot and pencil, then experience unlimited sampling rating each chowder, soup and bisque they try.

Adult tickets are just $15 and kids (6-12) $5.

Parking is FREE.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on-line at www.Chowdafest.org.

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

Chowdafest, presented by Stop & Shop, is sponsored by: AAA Northeast, Aquafina, BlumShapiro, Cabot Creamery, City Carting, CT Bites, Dunkin Donuts, HamletHub, Kids Helping Kids, MINI of Fairfield County, New Milford Farms, Ocean Spray, OmnomCT.com, Pepperidge Farms, Peapod, PEZ, Sustainable America, Tostitos, The Beat Magazine, and more!

Chilifest Westport CT 2015 Winners

Congratulations to the 2015 ChiliFest Westport CT winners!

Bedford Middle School in Westport CT was home to the ChiliFest CT contest! This fierce and fun competition is brought to you by the same folks who host ChowdaFestCT!

Nearly one thousand people were on hand to welcome the return of Chilifest to Westport!

Let's face it - all the chili entries were DELICIOUS - and each deserves the win!

So many great chilis to choose from!  

How hard it was to pick just one!

But YOU were the judge - and decided that the winners were:

Classic Beef:

Southport Brewing Company who took the Classic Beef category with their Maple Stout Chili.

Others in the classic beef category that need to be mentioned are Black Cat Grille in Redding, defending champion Bobby Q’s of Westport, Chilibomb in Fairfield, Little Pub of Greenwich, Ridgefield and Wilton and Old Post Tavern of Fairfield who placed 2nd with their “Deflated Super Bowl Chili”. SBC entered a Maple Stout Chili made by co-owner and master brewer Mark DaSilva.  Their winning recipe included SBC’s very own brewed stout.  “We wanted to blend the best of our brewery and kitchen” said a noticeably happy DaSilva.  “We’ll have to figure out how to share this trophy at all three locations” he added. 



Creative Category:

Geronimo of Fairfield won the Creative Chili category with their Hatch Green Chili

Their Hatch Green Chile edged out entries from The Boat Yard BBQ & Grill of Stamford, Cask Republic of New Haven and Stamford who placed 2nd, The Chef’s Table of Fairfield, Liquid Lunch of Shelton and Milford and Simply Delicious of Norwalk.  “I tweaked our recipe a bit” said Chef Tim Scott of Geronimo.  “I’m glad I did as the competition was top notch.”


Local Firehouse Chili:

The firefighters of Westport took the firehouse chili category narrowly beating fellow firefighters from Bridgeport and Weston.

This was probably my favorite category of the year as it featured the culinary talent of local firefighters.  Sponsored by Local Kitchen and Beer Bar, the category was easily the most heated competition of the day.  With a win by less than 30 votes, chef/firefighter Toby Ostapchuk noted “We entered our Checkered Flag Chicken Chili. It’s been a long time favorite of the department so we decided to enter it.  We call it checkered flag because the black and white beans makes it look like a checkered flag.  I hope more fire departments enter next year. It was a lot of fun.”

And I personally enjoyed meeting Westport’s First Selectman Jim Marpe and watching him don an apron and help serve samples alongside Westport firefighters. 

Event Chair Jim Keenan (below) was pleased with the event turnout as we joked and chatted about eating chili at 11:00 in the morning!

Everyone loved the Chili!

And Westport First Selectman, Jim Marpe made the rounds with ChiliFest mascot Chef Ref to celebrate the return of Chilifest!

The Sacred Heart University Band played and got everyone in the mood for some great chili!

The men’s club at the Unitarian Church in Westport plus over a hundred student athletes from the Sacred Heart University football, women’s hockey, women’s golf and equestrian teams helped orchestrate parking, sold and accepted tickets, separated recycle and compostable waste, worked with restaurants and tabulated votes.

Besides sampling chili, attendees also got to sample mini-tiramisu from The Greens of Cannondale and Tony Aitoro mingled with the crowd handing out his famous chocolate chip cookies served at Aitoro Appliances in Norwalk. Fellow sponsors Stop & Shop and Volvo of Westport provided some much welcome relief to attendees who sampled over 1,800 gallons of chili.  Stop & Shop served water throughout the event while Volvo of Westport handed out mints in a tin shaped like a Volvo as people handed in their ballots.

The big winner was the Turtle Shell Fund, the event’s beneficiary.  The Turtle Shell Fund seeks to promote the education of young people in art, music, theater, skilled craft and other creative pursuits in order to create a rich cultural heritage for tomorrow.


Chilifest is proudly sponsored by Aitoro Appliances, The Greens at Cannondale, Local Kitchen & Beer Bar, Stop & Shop, Sustainable America, US Foods, Volvo of Westport and WEBE 108.

For MANY MORE PICTURES of the event visit the Home Place Facebook page==>> HERE

and while you're there...don't forget to "like" us! 

For more information log on to the ChiliFest website at http://www.come2chilifest.com/

A big thank you to the ChiliFest sponsors!

ChowdaFest Winners and Recap - October 2014

Donovan’s, Gray Goose, Soup Thyme, and The Spread Take Top Honors at Chowdafest

Thousands of chowder loving foodies from all over Connecticut converged at Norwalk’s Calf Pasture Beach to determine the state’s best chowder, soup and bisque at Chowdafest.

We all grabbed a spoon, a pencil and a ballot and went off to sample 30 different entries.

Each entry was rated on a scale of 7 to 10 to determine the winners of four different categories. The restaurant with the best overall average in their category are declared champions.

Voters chose Donovan’s of South Norwalk for their New England clam chowder, winning for the third consecutive year. Norwalk restaurants took all top three awards with O’Neill’s coming in second narrowly missing first and new comer Sparks Sports Grill taking third place.

Gray Goose of Fairfield took first place in their first Chowdafest competition winning the Traditional Chowder category for Manhattan and Rhode Island clam chowders only. They defeated  runner-up Liquid Lunch of Shelton & Milford who finished second last year with their Manhattan clam chowder. Third place was Dunville’s of Westport who was the categories previous champion also with a Manhattan entry. Westfair Fish & Chips of Westport finished with the top rated Rhode Island clam chowder.

The very popular Creative Chowder category was exceptionally close as eight restaurants showcased their culinary skills. The Spread from South Norwalk took top honors for their chorizo and shrimp chowder which was also the highest rated entry for the entire event. Taking second was Norwalk’s Brewhouse restaurant who won this category previously. Third place was Liquid Lunch with their Great Pumpkin & Lobster Bisque. Norwalk’s Simply Delicious missed the podium by 0.01 of a point for their lobster & corn chowder.

Newcomer Soup Thyme of Monroe won the Soup & Bisque category with their chicken pot pie soup. “I’m so glad we finally entered” said Ron Lee, owner. “We’ve been invited for several years and I’m thrilled we could finally compete”. Tikkaway from New Haven came in second with their chicken cilantro bisque. Third place finisher was Local Kitchen and Beer Bar of Fairfield & Norwalk with their Thanksgiving harvest bisque. LobsterCraft of Darien had the highest rated lobster bisque.

Attendees also got to sample craft beer, wine & crackers, farm made ice cream and even birthday cake from presenting sponsor Stop & Shop who was celebrating their 100th anniversary. Tim Curry’s Motown band entertained the crowd. Kids decorated chef hats and got to meet “Goldie” the goldfish from Pepperidge Farm.

Chowdafest, presented by Stop & Shop, benefits Community Plates in an ongoing effort to eliminate hunger.

For more pictures of the event, visit the Home Place facebook page at http://bit.ly/CF2014pix

and while you're there, don't forget to "like" us!

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