It’s time to once again come in from the cold and enjoy a warm and tasty lunch at Port’s annual SOUPer Bowl party.
The annual event, now in its seventh year, will be held Saturday, Feb. 1, from noon to 3 p.m., at the Fellowship Hall in the United Methodist Church, 35 Middle Neck Road, just north of the Village Club of Sands Point entrance. The event is sponsored by Port Washington’s Chamber of Commerce.
Port’s local eateries will be donating their best soups for the contest and hope to be voted Port Washington’s 2014 SOUPer Bowl Champ. Residents are invited to “Buy a Spoon” ($7 for adults, $3 for children under 12) and become a “taster.” Upon paying the admission fee, a hand stamp and a ballot will be provided. The hand stamp allows participants to sample two ounces of each of the soups donated by the restaurants.
The soups range from standards like hearty Chicken Noodle to a Seafood Bisque. The restaurants also provide bread and crackers for free to complete the lunch. Participants then vote for their favorites, and when all the ballots are tallied, the 2014 SOUPer Bowl Champ is determined. The winner will receive the “People’s Choice Award.”
Before the event opens to the public, there is a tasting by a judges’ panel. The panel includes three Port celebrities—Oscar nominated actor/artist/author Burt Young, Emmy winning sports anchor Len Berman and Emmy winning news anchor and celebrity chef Julian Phillips.
Rounding out the judges’ panel are Joey Aranzubia, a deaf-blind student from the Helen Keller National Center; Anne Arter of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty (Commissioner Sponsor;) Joe Canigiani of Joseph N. Canigiani, Inc. (Commissioner Sponsor;) and Wendy Collett, personal chef and owner of Dry Babe. The winner, as determined by a vote of the panel, is given the “Judges’ Choice Award.”
Additionally, a raffle will be held, with the grand prize a $100 gift certificate to a SOUPer participating restaurant of the winner’s choice. Second place is a $75 gift certificate and third prize is a $50 gift certificate. The balloon centerpieces, created by S.F. Falconer Florist, will also be raffled off.
As in the past, this year the event will include a food drive. Visitors may bring non-perishable food items which will be donated to the Twin Pines Consumers Food Pantry. The local Food Pantry has seen an increase in the number of people requesting food, but donations have been down. Some
of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Twin Pines Consumers Food Pantry by the Chamber of Commerce.
As of press time, 17 restaurants had said they will participate and the following are confirmed:
Amsterdam at Harborside
Ayhan’s Fish Kebab
Ayhan’s Mediterranean Marketplace
Ayhan’s Shish Kebab
Catering By Colombo
Port Café
Frank’s Pizza
Gino’s Pizzeria & Restaurant
Port Washington Diner
Sullivan’s Quay
Toscanini
Wild Honey on Main
The Chamber of Commerce is grateful to the sponsors who make this event possible, a chamber spokeswoman said. The Commissioner sponsors of SOUPer Bowl 2014 are Joseph N. Canigiani, Inc., located at 113 Main Street; and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, located at 350 Main Street.
Head Coach sponsors are Laffey Fine Homes, located at 215 Main Street; Port Washington Calendar/Mainly Marketing, located at 24 Main Street; R Best Produce, located at 99 Seaview Blvd.; and Roslyn Savings Bank—a Division of New York Community Bank, located at 167 Shore Road.
The Assistant Coach sponsors are Chief Signs, located at 82A South Bayles Ave.; Coldwell Banker, located at 600 Plandome Road; and the Kiwanis Club of Manhasset-Port Washington. The Fans are AcuPort Acupuncture, located at 158 Main Street; Delux Transportation Services, located at 62 Main Street; Blanca Fabian, a Port resident; and Massage Envy, located at 47 Main Street.
There is plenty of free parking. For more information, call the Chamber of Commerce at 883-6566 or email office@pwcoc.org.
