FLORENCE — If you see Tides Inn owner Jack Gentle running around his Reedsport restaurant this week with a hammer and saw, he’s probably just building a new trophy case — a big one.

It’s been a busy week for the Gentles. The Reedsport bar and grill owners won their second cooking contest in seven days when Patty Gentle won the prestigious professional chowder cook-off at Chowder Blues & Brews on Saturday.

The Gentles took home the $1,000 top prize and the travelling trophy that goes with winning the event open to top chowder cooks along the Oregon coast.

Jack started the impressive week by winning the Brisket Brawl barbecue contest in Reedsport on Sept. 14.

Jack’s victory was not a big reach. He won the same barbecue contest in 2006 when ribs were on the menu.

Patty’s win on the other hand, took her completely by surprise.

“I’m completely in shock,” Patty said after the announcement in front of the entertainment stage Saturday evening. “I’ve never done anything like that before. I’ve watched it on TV.

“It was fun, I got to meet a lot of nice people.”

The Tides Inn led an area sweep of the top three spots in the professional contest. Chef Oscar Sermeno of Brickstones Restaurant at the Red Lion Inn in Coos Bay was second and Lee Erbele of Lakeshore Lodge in Lakeside rounded out the top three.

Other local competitors in the field of 11 included the High Tide Cafe in Charleston, Windy Bay Bakery in Winchester Bay, the Waterfront Tavern in Reedsport and 2007 People’s Choice winner The Anchor Grill in Winchester Bay.

The Starfish Grill at The Best Western Agate Inn in Newport was named the People’s Choice winner for 2008. The Starfish Grill’s Chef Ryan Cornwall was last year’s profession winner.

Judge Thomas Ray said this was the toughest competition he’s judged at Chowder, Blues & Brews.

“Even doing the judging in batches of three or four, you got three good ones,” he said. “It’s fun coming down here and trying different chowders from different places.”

He noted that the four winners all came from different areas along the coast.

“This will get more people to enter,” he said.

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As usual, my wife and I did our own voting in People’s Choice, and we agree with Judge Ray, that this was by far the toughest group to judge in our three years of attending the festival because of the high level of competition.

Chef Sermeno’s chowder has been a top pick of mine in the past, and once again figured in my final decision, this time finishing second. My favorite this year was the chowder made by Chef Steven Raplee from High Tide Cafe in Charleston (Note: one judge and another competitor agreed with me in my informal poll after the contest).

Autumn’s top pick was Seagull Tavern in Florence with Starfish Grill finishing third in her voting.

We agreed on one of our top three picks, Lakeshore Lodge in Lakeside. Autumn picked them second and I put them third. Erbele is a past three-time winner of the Chowder Blues & Brews professional contest.