The Great Chowder Cook-Off is an annual event that was held at the Newport Yachting Center in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, US, for 33 years and is now held at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. The event typically takes place in early or mid June. At first, the Cook-Off was open only to local chefs but more recently, there have been entries from as far away as

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

,"Restaurants With Outdoor Dining in Seattle"
''USA Today'' New York,

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,Florida, Carolina Beach, North Carolina, and

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History

The event was started in 1981 and was originally called the

New England Clam Chowder Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative eas ...

Cook-Off, as New England clam chowder was the only type at the Cook-Off at that time. A creative category was added a few years later though there was no award (as in the New England category); a seafood category was added the following year. Awards were given in these categories, as well, starting with the 28th annual Great Chowder Cook-Off. The 28th introduced clam cakes, though again with no award, which came into play in its 29th year. The 30th had a clam cake-eating contest repeated in 2013 (the 32nd Cook-Off). The Cook-Off has been assisted by sponsors in recent years, and the name of the sponsor is added to the title of the event. The winner of the Cook-Off is announced at the end of the day in addition to appearing in ''

The Newport Daily News ''The Newport Daily News'' is a six-day daily newspaper serving Newport County, Rhode Island. It publishes in the mornings on weekdays (Monday through Friday) and in the morning on Saturdays. The ''Daily News'' was the state's largest family-own ...

'' the next day. In 2011, Tony's Seafood Restaurant Cedar Key Florida (Tony's Clam Chowder) won the event for best clam chowder the third win in a row (2009,2010. 2011). Chef/Owner Eric Jungklaus of Tony's Seafood Restaurant in Florida accepted an invitation to compete in 2009. Tony's Chowder was inducted into the Great Chowder Cook-off Hall of Fame. In 2011 Tony's 3X Clam Chowder World Champion was named by the Newport Waterfront Events Director Rich Travis, the events "Greatest Champion". The Mooring restaurant won one time during taping for the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

show '' Challenge''. The show is primarily for baking but it does have episodes with other focuses—one of which was the Great Chowder Cook-Off. In 2015, the location of the Cook-Off was changed to Newport's Fort Adams State Park. The Cook-Off was called off in 2020 due to the 2020 pandemic.

The event

Tickets are sold at the event and also online through the Newport Waterfront Events website and vary in price every year. Children aged 12 & under are free with an adult. After paying for entry, attenders are entitled to the chowder provided by competing restaurants and beverages are available for purchase, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

The contest

Over the years, the basic rules have stayed the same. Each attender is given a color-coded voting ticket for each category:

Clam Chowder Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative ...

, Seafood Chowder, and most Spirited Team."Newport Great Chowder Cook-Off"
''Cooking with the Daily News'' via Gloucester Times Voters then drop their tickets into the bins of the restaurant or company whose chowder they enjoyed the most. The votes are counted about an hour before the event's end. Winners for each category are announced at 6pm at the event and are immediately posted on the Newport Waterfront Events website. "NJ, RI eateries take wins at Chowder Cook-Off"
''Eyewitness News'', WPRI By Bill Tomison on June 7, 2014,

References

{{Reflist Annual events in Rhode Island Tourist attractions in Newport, Rhode Island 1981 establishments in Rhode Island Recurring events established in 1981 Cooking competitions in the United States