Business & Tech

19 Restaurants Will Compete For Top Prize In Annual LBI Chowderfest On Sunday

Event will be held at the Ninth and Taylor avenues ballfield in Beach Haven

By Patricia A. Miller

Think it's easy preparing for the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce's annual Chowderfest Cookoff in Beach Haven?

Think again.

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Nineteen area restaurant owners will begin preparing for the Oct. 6 event a week ahead of time, to make sure they have at least 180 gallons each of chowder ready for the big day, said Kelly Randazzo, the Chamber's event coordinator.

"It's a lot of chowder," she said.

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Visitors will vote on the best-tasting red and white chowder categories. There's a reason for naming the soups by color, not by tradition, said chamber Marketing Director Lori A. Pepenella.,

"We're not going to promote Manhattan or New England," she joked. "This is the biggest event of the year and it's the 25th anniversary, so it's even bigger."

Proceeds from Chowderfest to to support the chamber's programs, she said.

Visitors who purchase VIP tickets for $50 get into the red and white tasting tents an hour earlier, and receive a T-shirt, Randazzo said. 

Regular tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children. Both tickets entitle visitors to unlimited chowder tasting, she said.

The event will be held at the ballfield at Ninth and Taylor Avenue, behind Bay Village. There's also a Merchants Mart slated for Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. , with area merchants selling crafts and goods with end of season sales.

Don't like chowder? No problem.

The event will also feature a food tent with hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage and pepper sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, clams on the half shell, beer and ice cream, Randazzo said.

Music and activities for children will also be provided.

The closing ceremonies for Chowderfest will begin with a dedication to longtime coordinator and Southern Regional Chamber of Commerce board member Frank Panzone, Jr., who died last year. The ball field will be renamed in his honor.

The awards ceremony will take place after the dedication.

For more information on the event, call 609-494-7211 or go online at  www.visitlbiregion.com for homepage links.

 


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