ChowdaFest 2014 - Webster Bank Arena Bridgeport CT

UPDATE: Read my recap of this event HERE

The ChowdaFest date and line up is announced!

Save the date! 
February 2, 2014
11am-3pm

This incredible fundraiser benefits the CT Food Bank. 

Get your tickets early to avoid box office lines. 
Tickets will be on-sale in January at Stop & Shop and Webster Bank locations.   

WHEN:

February 2, 2014
11am - 3pm

WHERE:

Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard

600 Main Street - Bridgeport CT

Conveniently off exit 27 off I-95

Be green and car pool - parking just $5

TICKETS:

Adults are $12

Children 6-12 are just $5, five years or younger FREE

Tickets available at the Webster Bank Arena Box Office.
Advance tickets can be purchased at Stop & Shop and Webster Bank locations in January 2014.
 SAVE $2 on each adult ticket when purchased at advance at any New Haven or Fairfield County Stop & Shop through January staring Jan. 4. Kids receive FREE chef hats, stickers and more while supplies last.

There will be 28 chowda-licious restaurants participating in the 6th annual competition. 

ChowdaFest will be bringing you an unbelievable line up of chefs and restaurants! There will be lots of other cool stuff too like the "Ciao"dafest Italian tasting section and the new Cracker & Cheese Corner.  

There will also be a beverage center to sample craft beer, wine, coffee & hot chocolate too.  

 Congratulations to the following restaurants that earned their spot into this year's competition:  

• Bernard's (Ridgefiled)
• Bistro 7 (Wilton)
• Brennan's (Norwalk)
• Brewhouse (Norwalk) 
• Close Harbour Seafood (Plantsville)
• Crab Shell (Stamford) 
• Donovan's (Norwalk) 
• Dunville's (Westport)
• Ginger Man (Norwalk) 
• Go Fish (Mystic)
• Guvnor's Brewery (Norwalk)
• High Tide Gourmet (Madison)
• Indigo by the Water (Milford)
• Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale (New Haven, Madison & Westbrook) 
• Liquid Lunch (Shelton & Milford) 
• Mansion Clam House (Westport) 
• Old Post Tavern (Fairfield) 
• Parallel Post (Trumbull) 
• Post 154 (Westport)
• Rory's (Darien) 
• Rowayton Seafood (Rowayton) 
• Southport Brewing Co. (Southport, Branford, Stamford and Milford) 
• Super Duper Weenie (Fairfield) 
• Tavern on Main (Westport) 
• The Spread (Norwalk) 
• Tikkaway (New Haven)

Bring your friends and your appetite!

Non-perishable food items will be collected for donation to the CT Food Bank.

Anyone bringing a donated item will be entered into a raffle for a 
$200 Stop and Shop gift certificate!

Also new this year?
A new MASCOT!
Meet:
CHEF-REF!

Meet Chef Ref in advance at these select dates and locations
Mascot Schedule:

•Sat. Jan. 11 – FIAT of Fairfield County in Stamford (12:00-1:30)

•Sat. Jan. 11 – Sound Tiger game at the Webster Bank Arena (7:00)

•Sun. Jan. 12 – Sound Tiger game at Webster Bank Arena (3:00)

•Fri. Jan. 17 – Stop & Shop in Westport (3:30 - 5:30)

•Sat. Jan. 18 – Stop & Shop in Stamford (Bedford St. 12:00 - 1:30)

•Sat. Jan. 18 – Stop & Shop in Darien (Noroton Heights 2:30 – 4:00)

•Sun. Jan 19 – Stop & Shop in Norwalk (Main Ave. 11:30 – 1:00)

•Sun. Jan 19 – Stop & Shop in Norwalk (CT Ave. 1:30 – 2:30)

•Sun. Jan 19 – Sound Tiger game at the Webster Bank Arena (3:00)

•Fri. Jan. 24 – Stop & Shop in Bridgeport (3:30 – 5:30)

•Sat. Jan. 25 – Stop & Shop in Milford (12:00 – 1:30)

•Sat. Jan. 25 – Stop & Shop in Stratford (2:30 – 4:00)

•Fri. Jan. 31 – Stop & Shop in Shelton (3:30 – 5:30)

•Sat. Feb. 1 – Stop & Shop in Trumbull (11:30 – 1:00)

•Sat. Feb. 1 – Stop & Shop in Monroe (1:30 – 2:30)

•Sat. Feb. 1 – Sound Tiger game at Webster Bank Arena (3:00)

•Sun. Feb. 2 – Chowdafest (11:00 – 3:00)

Here's your chance to WIN a family-pak of tickets!

Chowdafest, presented by Stop & Shop, will conduct live, on-air chowder, soup & bisque tastings on Star 99.9 every “SOUPer” Friday  in January on the Big Jim and Anna morning program starting on Jan. 10th.

“We had so much fun last year sampling some of chowder and soup that we thought we would super-size it and do a different tasting each Friday” said Anna Zapp, on-air personality for Star 99.9.

Each Friday will feature the eight entries in one of the four different competition categories.  The categories are New England clam chowder, Traditional Chowder which is exclusive to Manhattan (red) and Rhode Island (clear), Creative Chowders and Soup/Bisque.

“A chowdah competition that takes place on the Super Bowl, does it get any better?” said “Big Jim” Murray, former sports talk host from both Atlanta and Boston, now Anna Zappa’s morning broadcast partner.  

“It will be great to see how Jim and Anna’s favorites stack up to the thousands of votes we get at our pre-Super Bowl event on Feb. 2nd at the Webster Bank Arena” said Jim Keenan, Chowdafest Chairman.   

And here's where the fun comes in!!! A family pack of Chowdafest tickets will be given away on Star 99.9 during each Souper Friday as well as over the weekends.Make sure you listen to Star 99.9 radio!

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

ChowdaFest Bridgeport Connecticut 2013 Winners & Pictures

The ChowdaFest 2013 was such a fun event...did you go?

And ** DRUM ROLL PLEASE ** without further ado...

here's a list of the official ChowdaBest ChowdaFest 2013 Winners 

and some pictures of our time at the event!

Source: ChowdaFest Results

Each and every one deserved to be a ChowdaFest Winner! (well, almost everyone!)

We came. We tasted.

We complained because trash cans were placed out of the way in the center of the arena.

There was more than just chowder at this Chowder Fest!
It's a real ChowdaFeast!
We sampled some artisan breads.

We watched souper-bowl picks go in!  (LOL)

And met some great people serving wonderful soup for a terrific cause!
(Proceeds from ChowdaFest benefit the Connecticut Food Bank)

Everyone had fun!

The SHU band played!

We met Chef Quohog and watched the ChowdaKids have some fun!

Chowda Chowda and more Chowda!

ChowdaFest everywhere!

With a little Ben & Jerry's ice cream on the side.

We submitted out Chowda soaked ballots...and hoped our favorite Chowda would win!

Congratulations to the ChowdaFest 2013 Winners!

Missed it?  - There's always next year!

Did you go?  Did your favorite win?

For additional photos of this event click HERE 

ChowdaFest 2013 at Webster Bank Arena Bridgeport CT

How can you have a truly SOUP-ER BOWL SUNDAY??

Come to CHOWDA FEST!!!

This year, ChowdaFest, the premier CT chowder and soup competition, will be held at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard, in Bridgeport, CT.

(Update: For the recap of this event click HERE)

In fact, you might want to say ChowdaFest  is "soup-er-sized" this year!  

Come to Harbor Yard on Sunday, February 3, 2013, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and sample some great soups and chowder!

Most importantly, your participation benefits the Connecticut Food Bank.

And you'll be back home in plenty of time for the Super Bowl Sunday Game!

This year the ChowdaFest is big! How big?? So big that it had to be moved to this premier area!

Howard Saffan, President of Harbor Yard Sports & Entertainment notes,

“The Yard has never hosted a culinary event before but we know foodies are a passionate group. We are excited to welcome them and to play a role in the continued success of Chowdafest.”

Thirty different chowders and soups will be featured in this competition where both children and adults get to be judges and vote for their favorite Classic New England Clam Chowder, Creative Chowder (anything other than New England) and Soup/Bisque.

The current roster includes:

• Bloom Brothers (Norwalk) 
• Blue Lemon (Westport)
• The Brewhouse (Norwalk) 
• Bobby Q’s (Westport)
• Close Harbour Seafood (Plantsville)
• Crab Shell (Stamford) 
• Donovan’s (Norwalk) 
• Dunville’s (Westport) 
• Ginger Man (Norwalk) 
• The Goose (Darien)
• High Tide Gourmet (Madison)
• Liquid Lunch (Shelton / Milford)
• Mansion Clam House (Westport)  
• Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro (Norwalk) 
• Old Post Tavern (Fairfield) 
• On the Rocks (E. Haddam) 
• O’Neill’s (Norwalk) 
• Restaurant at Rowayton (Rowayton) 
• Rory’s (Darien) 
• Southport Brewing Co. (Stamford/Fairfield)
• Super Duper Weenie Dog (Fairfield) 
• Tavern on Main (Westport)
• Valencia Luncheria (Norwalk) 
• Wave Hill Breads (Norwalk)

Cost

Adults: $10.00
Children 6-12: $5.00
Children under 5: Free

Everyone gets a spoon, pencil and ballot, samples each soup and chowder and judges on a scale from 6 (low) to 10 (high) with an optional half point bonus. The restaurant receiving the highest rating will be declared the winner in each category.

Supporting sponsors include Fiat of Fairfield County, The Farmer’s Cow, Hearst Publications, Star 99.9 and World Centric. Given the event’s Super Bowl date and “souper” bowl theme, restaurants and fans alike come dressed in their favorite football jerseys, eye black and more.

Or come as you are!  Just come hungry!

Hope to see you there!

For more information click HERE

Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard
600 Main Street
Bridgeport, CT

Conveniently off I-95 exit #27

UPDATE:  See the results and pictures from 2013 HERE