A GOOD Cause & a Golden Ladel
The 2026 Soup Off
It was a blustery Alaska night when I hauled five gallons of Mexican Street Corn Chowder from the car into the 8 Star Event Center, the wind whipping around me like it was part of the evening’s theme: the 2026 Soup Off. The warm smells of hearty chowders and spicy gumbos filled the air as chefs and restaurateurs sampled each other's entries before the space opened to the public. Over 20 local restaurants supported our local Breadline's sold-out annual fundraiser, a truly worthy feat considering the snowstorm brewing that night.
Yukon Cajun won the coveted Golden Ladle Award for their dynamic and flavorful Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. The People's Choice Award was captured by Fountainhead Hotels with their rich, crowd-pleasing Seafood Chowder. Latitude 65 impressed with eight locally sourced ingredients in their Chicken and Barley soup, earning the Best Use of Local Ingredients Award. Honorable mentions went to the students of Ryan Middle School, who entered a crowd-pleasing soup (coming in second for People's Choice) and donated stunning baked goods for the Silent Auction held that night.
While we didn’t take home an award this year, we were overwhelmed by the engagement and support from community members who appreciated our Mexican Street Corn Chowder . Our soup was both vegetarian and gluten-free, despite the presence of a sea of mouth-watering bacon and thick creamy chowders they had something to enjoy (with many coming back for seconds). The hand-roasted corn was also appreciated by all, as was the tortilla chip and cotija accoutrements. Check out the video below to see what went into making our Chowder (and give us a follow while you’re at it 😉).
We had so much fun supporting such a worthy cause and are proud to be part of such an amazing community. We look forward to many more Soup Off's to come.