Ocean Wise® Annual Chowder Challenge

And the winner is…

Congratulations to Leah Patitucci, Culinary Team BC (and The Pear Tree) won first place in the Ocean Wise Chowder Challenge. She won a spot to compete at the Vancouver Aquarium Chowder Chowdown and a one year membership to Ocean Wise! Thanks to Ocean Wise!

Competition Date: Sunday, June 17

The winning chowder will receive a spot to compete in the 2018 Ocean Wise® Chowder Chowdown in Vancouver later this year, overnight accommodations and transportation on BC Ferries, plus major bragging rights and announcements via Festival social media. Additionally, the winning business will also receive a FREE Ocean Wise Membership.

Overfishing is the biggest issue our oceans face today. Join Canada’s growing sustainable seafood movement as the Comox Valley’s top chefs compete head-to-head for the title of 2018 Ocean Wise® Annual Chowder Challenge Champion. Taste delectable, ocean-friendly seafood chowders and vote for your favourite, all in support of sustainable seafood.

Preliminary Judges Scorecard

View the scorecard here.

Competition Rules

The competition is one hour long plus public serving time.
All participating restaurants must be Ocean Wise® seafood partners by the time of competition. You can initiate partnership here.
Chowder must contain any combination of BC oysters, BC clams and/or BC mussels.
All seafood must be Ocean Wise®-recommended.
The seafood component of the registrant’s chowder may contain any of the following sustainable BC shellfish and seafood: Pacific cod, sidestripe shrimp, humpback shrimp, pink shrimp, spot prawns, clams, oysters, mussels, farmed scallops, wild pink and spiny scallops, Pacific halibut, Pacific salmon, Dungeness crab and sablefish.
Participants are encouraged to source as many ingredients within the Comox Valley as possible
Competitor attire and demeanour shall be in keeping with the occasion, representing themselves, their business, their province and any sponsoring organization to the best of their ability
Competitors are permitted to utilize their own equipment during preparation, but all chowders must be served in an 8-10L stainless steel pot
Chowders will be heated, plated and garnished on premises. A single burner stove and serving bowls will be provided
The decisions of the judges shall be final
Contestants are responsible for cleaning up their cooking areas

Provided to participant:

A cooking surface to reheat chowder
A soup bowl to serve the judges
Sample cups and spoons for spectators
For out of town chefs; a kitchen to cook chowder prior to event can be secured.

Judging – Best Chowder

Chowder will be judged on flavour, consistency, appearance and overall appeal.
Each contestant will receive a judging cup prior to the judging period. It will be the responsibility of the head chef to deliver the chowder to the judging area. Remember to save 16 oz of chowder for the final round of judging in the case of a tie.
Best Chowder award is determined by the scores from each judge.
People’s Choice award is determined by votes from the public.
The scores from each judge and the public will be tallied and the chowder with the highest total score will be announced shortly after the competition ends.