Soup gets turn as main dish during fundraiser
Posted Mar 5, 2010 By John Nelson
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Tweet ThisEMC Events Soup, traditionally relegated to side-dish status, will be the main course at the Winchester arena March 6 when an expanded TLC Soupfest takes place for the second straight year.
Organizer Lynn Ford said 24 restaurants will battle it out to see who has the tastiest soup in the area. Last year, 17 entrants took part in Soupfest, which was held in the Wesleyan Church hall.
Ms. Ford noted that even at 17 entrants, there was little extra room in the church hall and little space for soup tasters to sit and sample the creations.
"People will have more room to walk around," Ms. Ford said. "People can stay and sit."
As well, she noted, the electrical capacity at the arena is far greater than in the church hall.
Participating eateries are: Baldachin Inn & Restaurant, Basket Case, Brewed Awakenings, Bridgeview Restaurant, Brigadoon Restaurant, Broadway Bar & Grill, Caicco's Bistro & Deli, Charliewood's Bar & Grill, Hot Cup Café, Lock 17, Mainstreet Family Restaurant, Mary's Restaurant, McIntosh Inn's Orchard Restaurant, Mike's Restaurant, Monte Cristo, Papa Gus, Red Dot Café, Rideau Restaurant, River Bend Restaurant, Salamander's, Sandy Row Restaurant & Golf Club, Sutton's Restaurant, The Village Antiques & Tea Room Bed & Breakfast, and Yellow Canoe Cafe.
Ms. Ford said she is expecting a bigger crowd of soup tasters this year after a positive response in year one.
Soupfest is set to run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children.
"That fee allows them to taste all 24 soups," said Ms. Ford.
Soupfest is a fundraiser for the TLC Ministries' construction efforts in Mexico, where they are attempting to build a training and resource centre to be used by 35,000 indigenous people in the Sonora desert region of that country.
Ms. Ford said the land in Mexico has been purchased, cleared and construction is ready to begin once funding is in place.
Soupfest got a bit of a financial boost on Feb. 16 when North Dundas Township Council agreed to provide $400 to help cover costs.
Ms. Ford said none of the Soupfest participants had given an indication as to what they would be offering, but a number of unusual soups were offered last year. Alongside such staples as chicken noodle were less-common creations like pumpkin coconut and sweet potato and peanut.
Soups will once again be judged by a celebrity panel that includes CTV newscaster and Trillium Cooking School owner Pam Collacott, and Michael Dunn, a Brockville resident who formerly served as chef at Buckingham Palace.
Judges will select the best soup, most creative and best presentation while members of the public will have the opportunity to vote for the people's choice winner.
Ms. Ford said she would like to put together a commemorative booklet for the event that would include recipes and back-stories of the soups. She conceded that some contestants might not want to share their best recipes, but was hopeful directions on how to prepare equally tasty treats would be forthcoming.
While Soupfest is aimed at raising funds for TLC's work in Mexico, Ms. Ford said she hopes to boost the profiles of local restaurants too.
"For us, it's to promote the restaurants because they contribute to the community so much," she said.
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