Soupalicious Calgary was hosted on Sunday October 1st, and was a bubbling success in terms of both fundraising, and FUNraising!
Our third annual Soupalicious Calgary was our best effort yet - all thanks to YOU! The uptake from the community was phenomenal. Our fundraising goal was tripled, and attendance blew us out of the water.
We had over 550 folks join us - volunteers, attendees, musicians, vendors and Soup-er star pairs of Chefs and Farmers.
Red tents lined up to give shade to our Soup Pairings, under them, a different pot bubbling away with possibility...
The People's Choice Golden Ladle, and the First Place Pot gleamed in the sunlight at the front of the stage, waiting to be assigned to their Champion...
Meanwhile, folks filed in with soup tickets in hand...
Live music by The Doug Waite Sound System, and The Enablers kept us dancing between sips of soups and local brews from Village Brewery and Sunnycider. We also watched on as our friends and family (kids and adults alike!) shoved their faces full of pie in an effort to eat the fastest and win a Soup themed basket of Highfield Farm produce and Soup Sisters Cookbook. Those more keen on searching than scarfing, took to the garden for pumpkin hunting, going home with their prized mini pumpkins from Michelle's Market, and a grand prize for the quickest of the bunch - passes for the family to Calgary Farmyard.
In the end, one lucky winner took home the prize of the day - A Local Love raffle basket packed full of fantastic local goodies:
📕Eat Alberta First Cookbook from @eatalbertafirst
📗Soup Sisters Cookbook from @soup_sisters
📓Garden Journal from @calgaryhorticulturalsociety
🔥Urban Inferno hot sauce from @cultureshockedferments
🧁 Gift Card from @cravecupcakes
🍺 Highfield Carrot Cider from @sunnycider_ca
🍲 and soup related supplies from @leevalleytools
Finally our trophies were ready to be awarded!
Our judges panel tirelessly sampled soup after soup after soup - all 13 in total! - in a blind taste test to determine the winner based on 3 categories: creativity, use of special ingredient, and taste. Judges Sharon Hapton, Bernice Hill, and Mayor Gondek had a difficult decision to make, but in the end, made a winner out of the Beet Minestrone with Chewy Ginger Dumpling by Chef's Farmer and Hotel Arts. This pair will enjoy a grand prize donated by Ridgerock Studios - a photo session to highlight the appeal of their wonderful produce and culinary creations!
Throughout the day, votes were collected in the form of poker chips as folks sampled their way through the line-up. In the end, the people had chosen a new winner: Honey Roasted Pear & Celery Root Soup by ABC Bees & Proof. A brand new pair to the Soupalicious game, using creativity (and a little bit of sweetness!) to take home the prize.
Thank you so much to everyone who came out. We are so grateful for your support for Soupalicious Calgary, and we can't wait to have you back next year! Interested in participating next year?? Let us know!
Thank you to Fresh Routes and Soup Sisters for donating the infrastructure of tents and tables to give this event structure and consistency!
Thank you to our Soup-er Star Judges: Sharon Hapton, Bernice Hill and Mayor Gondek for taking the time to sample and discuss to determine our first place winner!
Thank you to Crooked Creations Canada and Precision Engraving for stepping up our trophy game and building bases, and providing name plates for our winners!
Thank you to all the vendors who came out to spend the day with us - especially to the Little Red Reading House for providing free books to visiting kids!
Thank you to all of our prize donors for giving our participants extra incentive to participate in the harvest fun!
Thank you to our photographer extraordinaire - Nathan Manfredi for making our event look so fantastic!
Thank you to ALL of our amazing volunteers who helped set up, bartend, serve soup, clean-up, work the sound, and so so so much more. You truly are the backbone of this entire project <3 <3 <3
The BIGGEST THANK YOU of all to our participating Soup-er Star Chefs and Farmers. This would not happen without you. We recognize how much work it is to take on an event such as this and are so grateful for your time, dedication and creativity. We love you.
Devour Catering // Poplar Bluff Organics
Vresh Foods // Root & Regenerate
Cornerstone Music Cafe // Blue Mountain Biodynamics
TOKYO CHOPSTICKS // Doug Gardens
Hotel Arts // Chef's Farmer
The Light Cellar // Basil Ranch
All Beef Catering and Smokehouse // Summit Hill Farms
Donna Mac // MicroYYC
Saffron Catering // Fresh Routes
The Alex CFC // Highfield Farm
Proof // ABC Bees
Savour & Sage // Leftovers
Fresh Kitchen // Hull Services