This weekend is about chowder

By Ron Jackimowicz

Cuisine editor

This weekend is one of my two favorite festivals on the annual South Coast calendar  — Chowder, Blues & Brews at the Florence Events Center (the other has nothing to do with food, it’s the Chainsaw Festival on Father’s Day weekend in Reedsport).

I enjoy this festival so much, that I’m cutting my birthday trip a few days short just to be there for the chowder contest.

If you haven’t been to Chowder, Blues & Brews before, I think it’s worth the drive. If you like the blues, it’s a must. The event is Friday afternoon through Sunday. The highlight for me is the clam chowder contest on Saturday. Professional chefs from Bandon to Cannon Beach will compete for the top prize of $1,000.

At 1 p.m. on Saturday the People’s Choice competition for best chowder begins and hundreds of people line up in the theater to try a sample from each of the profession chefs.

The competition continues until the chowder is gone.

If you’ve been to the competition before, but didn’t go last year, the venue improved the crowding situation by putting the vendors in a tent in front of the events center. This opened up plenty of seating to watch the musical acts.

They even put a big-screen monitor in the tent, so you wouldn’t miss the music while visiting the vendors.

A big turnout of chefs from the readership area of The World are expected to compete this year. Three-time winner Lee Erbele, now of Lakeshore Lodge in Lakeside will be there as well as Wayne Rettinger, the People’s Choice winner last year from Anchor Grill in Winchester Bay.

Bandon Dunes will send a representative to compete, as will the High Tide Cafe in Charleston. Chef Oscar Sermeno from Brickstones at the Red Lion Inn is expected to return as well.

Reedsport may be sending two representatives. Jack Gentle from The Tides Inn said this weekend that he and his wife will definitely be competing, and The Waterfront is also on the competitors list.

Chefs from Newport, Lincoln City, Pacific City and Cannon Beach are also scheduled to compete.