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Chowder Cookoff 2014
Scenes From The CompetitionMarch 17, 2014
Several hundred people attended the Oriental Woman’s Club’s 7th Annual Chowder Cookoff on Saturday and sampled about a dozen chowders. In the voting among the general public, The Silos won in the Restaurant category. in a repeat win for Chris Daniels, while in the Individual category, Cindi Mayo took top honors in her first time out with the Pamlico County Community Foundation.Chris Daniels of The Silos took both the People’s Choice and the judges’ blind tasting awards in the 2014 OWC Chowder Cookoff.In the blind taste testing by judges, who included Gary Hardison and TV meteorologist Skip Waters, the Slios came out on top again. Meanwhile, the chowder made by the Florence-Whortonsville Volunteer Fire Department won in the non-restaurant category in the blind taste testing.
Some scenes and faces from the day:Cindi Mayo, chef for the chowder for the Pamlico County Community Foundation learns that her chowder had taken first place in the individual category in the overall voting It was the first year Mayo had entered. At left is Marianne Bruno of Endurance Seafood which came in 3rd in the individual category. At right, Dave Sargent of M&M’s which finished 2nd among restaurants.Jean Martin stirs the chowder that was the Florence-Whortonsville Volunteer Fire Station’s entry. In the Individual (non-restaurant) category, the fire department’s seafood-less chowder was the judges’ favorite in their blind taste test.Ellen Ryder and Adam Christiansen were serving up a shrimp based chowder at the Inland Waterway Provision Company table.Skip Bailey samples the offerings. He was one of several hundred who tasted the dozen chowders and then voted on their favorites.[page]
The 2014 OWC Chowder Cookoff on the grounds of the Oriental Marina.Pamlico Rescue’s Chowder Whisperers suggesting they could at least serve the chowder behind their backs.Winners of the Cookoff’s Panache award, the Chowder Whisperers from the Pamlico Rescue squad.Quality control. Chris Park takes a taste of the chowder he was ladling out at the Endurance Seafood table. The rockfish in the chowder had been swimming in the Neuse the day before and the clams were also recently harvested.Melanie Gordon of the Toucan Grill, on receiving the bronze shell for third place in the restaurant competition.Members of Oriental Woman’s Club were also selling desserts as part of the Chowder Cookoff fundraiser.[page]
Amelia Metcalf was serving up the crab and corn chowder for her father – Dave Sargent – and his M&M’s Restaurant.Bob Locarro and Laurie Sampson.rNo withdrawl slip necessary – the samples were waiting at the First Citizens Bank table.One of the younger chowder tasters waits for his sample.Jean Martin, of the Florence-Whortonsville Volunteer Fire Department, getting the Judges’ award for best chowder.The results of the voting and the judges’ blind test.