Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off

Great time on a sunny day in Santa Cruz. Loved all the tastings. couldn’t make up my mind which was the best. i was leaning towards the New England Clam Chower. Really different flavers than some of the others i’ve had.
Wonderful volunteers and just a fun, friendly crowd.
see ya next year.

$ 9 for a tasting kit!
I had a blast at the cook off this year! Perfect weather and delicious chowder. It was really fascinating watching the teams prep and cook their entries. If I counted the cartons of heavy cream I saw throughout the day, I would probably never want to eat chowder again. I heard one team say they used 40 pounds of bacon too!
My vote went to Ye Olde (so freaking bomb — too bad they’re an individual team so I can’t even go to a restaurant and order their chowder) but sadly they didn’t win :(
I’ll be back next year!

I went to this marvelous festival last year and had a blast! First, clam chowder… how can you go wrong!!! I came from LA to visit family… and made the 2 hour drive to Santa Cruz for this clam chowder cook-​off.
First off, the boardwalk on Santa Cruz, how can you possibly go wrong? The vibe here is chill despite it being super crowded for this event. I came a bit late with my brother, about the time the tastings were to start… next time I’m going earlier because parking was pretty scarce but not impossible to find. I paid $ 12 to park in the lot, but I suppose you can find free parking in the residential areas. Entry to the boardwalk is free, which is ALWAYS a plus.
As far as prices for this event, it wasn’t all that bad. It’s $ 9 for 5 tastings, so essentially about 2 bucks a tastes. You get a paper bag with a dixie cup (probably 5 oz or so), a spoon, 5 taste tickets, and some ballots. If you come earlier in the day, you can see them prep and make the chowder. Each team does cook their chowder on the spot! I very much so enjoyed seeing them prep and I love seeing how creative some teams can be. Some really go all out, making displays, costumes, outfits that match. The cup and spoon is what you will use at all the tastings. For each place you want to taste, get in line, give them your tickets and you will get a scoopful of what is hopefully some kick ass tasting clam chowder. I went with my brother and so we doubled the places we tasted by each of us getting a taste at a different place. In other words, instead of both of us using our ticket to get a taste of the same chowder, only one of us got the taste and poured the other half into the other person’s tasting cup. I think it’s was a good idea because there were some where one of us liked better than the other and so we’d just let whoever liked it more finish the whole thing if one of us wasn’t too fond of it.
During tasting time, you can vote for whichever chowder you like the best by dropping in your ballot. When tasting commences, there is probably an hour or so before they announce the winners. No worry, you are on a super fun boardwalk and there is so much to do! If the chowder doesn’t fill you up, there are PLENTY of fried awesomeness on the boardwalk for you to enjoy.
I was at this event from start to finish and left thinking that I had a great time for not a lot of money! Even though it was a crowded event, people seemed friendly for the most part.
I can’t wait to come back again this year! In fact, I’ve already put to be off on my work schedule… if it’s approved, Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off, here I come!!!

Pretty cool to try all kinds of clam chowders. We didn’t have to pay for parking since we parked in a more residential area and made a 5+ minute walk over to the Boardwalk. Tasting Kits are $ 9 and give you 5 tastings. It’s not too much money and by the end of the tasting session I think I had enough clam chowder for the day.
Arrive at ten and enjoy the walk before the crowds arrive! And what a large crowd it is (imagine Walmart on Black Friday!). People are creative with their clam themes to try to entice people to sample their chowder — and I think for the most part it works. If you’ve never been here before, I think it is definitely worth checking out. The chowder can taste (and look) noticeably different (I even had green chowder!)

This year, would be my 4^th time attending the Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off.
I’d say this is a favorite foodie festival/​event of mine :)
Pros:
Price (you pay for parking $ 12 and your tasting Kit $ 9)
It’s a cook off, so you get sample sized tastings (that’s good, so you don’t have to take in too much chowder… well unless you want to and buy more tasting kits)
The event brings local restaurants and community together (restaurants, YMCA, community center, firemen, schools and even individual contestants)
Location — right on the boardwalk!
Boardwalk faire/​food is open… so you can also get a corn dog, giant donut, deep fried twinkie or funnel cake even
What’s in a tasting kit?
Peoples Choice vote for best New England (white) and Manhattan (Red) chowder
Plastic Spoon (1)
Paper cup — for your chowder (1)
5 tasting tickets (use them wisely!)
As the years pass, this event is becoming more and more popular — which is great!

Today was Santa Cruz Beachboardwalks 32^nd annual Clam Chowder Cook-​Off.
This was my first chowder cook off and despite many reviews warnings of it’s crowds, it’s an understatement. It’s crazy. Speaking with other attendees, they said more contestants are entered but attendee walking space is super crowded.
If attendees were cars, it was like bumper to bumper traffic in southern California.
It’s hard to tell where lines end cause alot of people were making decisions in middle of the flow. It can get irritating cause you are in a slow stride and then people stop in there tracks.
Although white clam chowder is our favorite. We ventured out to try Manhattan style (red) chowder. We only found 1. Not sure if teams made less, or not enough or people were blocking their booths.
Contestants were very friendly and DEFINITELY shouted louder to gain your attention. But that is the name of the game… to entice you to give up a ticket to taste their chowder. Also, to get your people’s choice ticket.
Many versions of white (Boston) chowder from watery, milky to thick, from burnt to lots of herbs, large potatoes to almost no potatoes, super clammy to other additional seafood flavors (crab, fish etc) to no seafood taste at all.
So with over 70 contestants, you will have ALOT of choices to use your 5 tasting tickets per kit.
Paper-​bag Kit includes one napkin, one plastic spoon, one sample cup, five tickets (from a roll), one PEOPLES CHOICE for Boston chowder and one PEOPLES CHOICE for Manhattan style chowder. Kit is $ 9. But admission is FREE.
Despite the crowds, we did enjoy the day. But if the organizers read this… please control the crowd traffic. Stretch out the length so we aren’t crushed into each other or find another venue near the boardwalk or a local park.

It seems like the crowd grows by the year. But it’s still fun. You buy a little cup that’ll let you taste any of the clam chowders five times ($ 9 this year). You get to vote for your favorite. Happy sated faces everywhere. Just be patient with finding parking and the long lines getting the soup. Booths will sell out their chowders and close shop early. Also, expect traffic on Hwy 17 especially at the end of the day when everybody heads home.

This was my third year of attending the Cook off in a row and I don’t believe I’ll be going next year. Don’t get me wrong, the chowda is unbeatable but it’s just way too packed for comfort. For the $ 9 tasting fee you get the equivalent of a bowl in a restaurant but here you get the best. Just be prepared to cozy up to other tasters squeezed onto the narrow Boardwalk.

Mmmm. chowder…This event showed up on my fb wall as a recommendation for the weekend. Sounded cool, so I wanted to check it out. Upon arriving I bought a tasting kit for $ 9, which included a cup, spoon, 5 tasting tickets, and a voting ticket for people’s choice top manhattan and top boston.
On to the tasting. Being a newbie, I naturally used my first two tickets on the booths near the entrance. The first boston I had was pretty good. Then I had a manhattan. It was alright (Personally prefer bostons more). Then as my friend and I walked around a few booths, we realized that there were stands everryyyyywherreeee… and and ton of people! It was like being in hong kong! and the LINES! the lines were ridiculous! One stand in particular had long lines going in both directions!
So we tried another random stand that appeared to have won a lot of awards in the past. Major disappointment. The texture was odd and grainy! Love the energy of some of the stands like the themes. Silence of the Clams!
Lastly we decided to try to two stands that had the longest line. One of them tasted like milk. The last though was from the culinary school and had a great balance of flavors. No doubt they received my people’s choice vote!
Sad that I didn’t try any of the winners this year. It can get overwhelming with all the stands and disneyland like crowds. Maybe next year.

I’ve attended the Santa Cruz Chowder Cook off twice now — and I’ve found it a reliable good time for afternoon fun. What’s nice is that you can go early, watch the chowder prep, taste and still have the rest of your day. I don’t even like seafood, but can still appreciate a really good bowl of chowder. I enjoyed the fun, light hearted competition and overall shared love of clam chowder. Get there early to watch the chowder preparation (I love watching all the ingredients being prepped). Pick up a couple tasting kits to split to ensure you can taste a range of Boston and Manhattans. Remember a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen — Leave the stroller in the car (take a carrier) — it gets crowded — and be ready to bounce from tasting stand to tasting stand. My suggestions: Don’t always go for the long line — the busiest stands often have a shorter or nonexistent line for their Manhattan. Smaller stands tend to run out of chowder earlier, so target them first and head to the big name restaurants and winners later (the lines will be shorter anyway). Grab a couple oyster cracker packets to use throughout your tastings
Other than that, just come relaxed and with your patience (it will be crowded) and you’ll have a good time.

Ahhh Chowder. Hearty, creamy, and packed with Tabasco, I want to say I can’t get enough of it, but 5 Dixie cups will do me fine. A simple $ 9 for the tasting pack has had me at this festival 4 years and counting. This year we were able to vote on best New England AND best Manhattan, though I found myself unable to honestly bestow the Best Manhattan award to anyone (New England varieties school all others).
A warning to those expecting a calm, subdued opportunity to sample a couple soups at a leisurely place: this may not be your festival. The Boardwalk gets inCREDibly crowded (shoulder-​to-​shoulder, shoving), the lines for chowder are long (unless you’re an unabashed line-​cutter), and you’re getting ¹⁄₃ of a cup of chowder with each tasting ticket. In future years I can only expect this Cook-​Off to get more busy. I’ve had the best time on foggy, wet days where ½ the crowd clears out.
That said, you will taste, if you choose correctly, some TERRIFIC chowders. Aquarius won it for me this year, though it’s unlikely I’ll ever dine on chowder in an oceanfront restaurant on Cowell Beach. Lucky for me, the cook-​off gave me that chance. Chowder queen for a day :)
Put it on your calendar for next year if you’re ready to «jam out with your clam out»!

It’s almost that time again. This year’s clam chowder cookoff is Saturday, February 25^th. I had some of the best (and worst) clam chowder at the Boardwalk last year and am really looking forward to this year.
If you’re not a crowds person, this may not be the best venue for you, but if you love clam chowder and BSing with the cooks & chefs, this is a must-​do. It’s frantic and fun all at the same time. The weather is usually nice this time of year (sweater weather) but just make sure you come prepared for anything.
It’s fun watching the amateurs cook and almost every Team has a «theme.» One of my favorites last year was «Silence of the clams.» They had a Hannibal Lecter dummy in front of the booth and all the cooks wore black sweatshirts with Hannibal Lecter’s (Anthony Hopkins) face on the front. Tasters get to vote for their favorites with the «Peoples Choice» ballot, making it a highly competitive event. The tasting kit this year is $ 9 and you get 5 tasting tickets, a paper cup, spoon and napkin. Last year I got double tickets in my tasting kit so I was in chowder heaven!
You can compete as an individual or a professional. Individual teams are required to cook a minimum of three gallons. Professional teams are required to cook a minimum seven gallons. Of course, Teams can prepare as many gallons above the minimum as they wish and the more chowder they make, the better their chance to win!
We got there way too early last year and it was hard having to wait til 1pm to taste because of all the good aromas in the air. The down side: lines are chaotic and usually the clam chowder runs out in about an hour and a half, so if there’s one you really want to try, hover around the booth before 1pm to be one of the first in line. We lined up in front of Carmona’s booth (Watsonville BBQ joint) 45 minutes before they started serving.
It’s a really fun event and a great way to support Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation too.

This event on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is awesome as a fundraiser for the SC Parks and Rec and also a lazy day tasting food. If you love clam chowder, you are in for a treat.
Basically a bunch of restaurants and individuals set up stands where they have vats of their own specialty chowder. You get in for free, of course, only to be teased by the smells of food surrounding you. If you want to sample some of them, you get a tasting kit (for I think $ 8?) giving you some tickets to be traded in at stands for samples. Then you can vote for whichever one floats your boat.
There are so many different types to try that you will be sure to find something that you like. There are the classic New Englands, Manhattans, Bostons, even some that are reminiscent of chilli. Some of the most memorable ones were made by the Firehouse and another even used geoducks, which are basically a gigantic blob of delicious boogers.
Gets a bit crowded, of course, but it’s a great day trip/​date/​exploration/​food tasting day.

Worth the trip, go early if you can, parking is a pain and everyone’s friendly.

What a fun little event! The Boardwalk gets extremely congested when this goes on. I highly advise those of you interested to arrive early, preferably a little after noon. The vendors usually run out of chowder around 2 – 2:30pm-ish. There were 76 of them when I went, so imagine how long it takes to really walk down the line and see/​taste them!
The entry is free of course, but it is $ 8 for a tasting kit. The kit consists of a biodegradable spoon, a paper cup, napkin, People’s Choice ballot and 5 taste tickets. You redeem the tickets for a cup of chowder at the vendor of your choice.
I was able to sample 10, and pretty happy that the one I voted for won an award :]
I also recommend that you take a look at the little pamphlet they give out so you can devise a strategy. I decided that we should hit up winners from the previous year first and then try other vendors. Smart move. You really do get full off the 5 tickets (I combined & shared, that’s why I had 10) because each vendor offers either bread or crackers along with the chowder.
You get a really good variety of both white and red chowder, so go hungry!
I only wish the lines were organized a tad bit better but that’s hard to do with such limited space. I will definitely come again next year.

Came down for the 29^th annual Clam Chowder Cook Off – a solid way to spend a Saturday afternoon :-). Overall I had an excellent time. A couple of tips:
–Do not attempt to sample more than 5 tastings even if you are trying to get a true taste of all the competitors. I attempted 10 tastings and painfully finished 9… the cream gave me a stomach ache.
–Arrive just before 1pm (when tastings start) – I’d say 12:30 or 12:45pm, because there really isn’t much to «see».
The best chowders that I tried were from Two Chefs and a Shrimp (two adults and a little kid – the shrimp) and also this brewery with a Wonka theme.
Would go back a second year as it’s a inexpensive way to have a good time.

For the last 4 years, has some top notch Clam Chowder and some that I did not care for. It is a wonderful event and recommend it to anyone who loves clam chowder.