Saturday wasn’t your typical day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It was time to celebrate the 29th Annual Clam Chowder Cook Off & Festival, where individuals, restaurants, and organizations compete for the title of best clam chowder. All of the festivities efforts go to raise money for the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department programs.

Rain or shine, we were going to cover the event as Foodie Correspondents thanks to Foodbuzz. Thankfully, the weather stayed dry throughout Saturday’s festival where the crowds of hungry chowder fans walked the Boardwalk in search of the best Manhattan and Boston clam chowders. Booths were all set up attracting crowds. Some simple, others with playful themes like dancing mermaids or Oompa Loompas complete with a Willy Wonka commanding the crowd. It was all about checking out each booth because to try out the chowder, you had to give up one of five of your precious tasting tickets from your tasting kit.

Just like last year’s festival, we walked the Boardwalk just before the public tasting began to see the final prep work being completed.

You could see contestants busily mixing up their batches of chowder, chopping the remainder of their ingredients, and setting up for the rush of people ready to come to their booth. I can recall the smell of bacon permeating the air at one of the booths. Seeing all of this action was enough to get anyone excited to eat.

Right when 1:00 P.M. hit, it was time for the public tasting. Armed with our tasting kits – which included 5 tasting tickets, a People’s Choice Ballot card, reusable chowder cup, and spoon – we began to line up. We sampled chowder from all three divisions: individuals, corporate/media, and professional, to get a balanced selection of different chowders. Below is what we were able to try.

Draeger Construction
Boston: This was the booth where I smelled bacon being fried, so I wanted to line up here first. Bacon fans would rejoice to the plentiful bacon bits. To complement the bacon, you had plenty of chunks of clams, potatoes, and celery.

Manhattan: Just like their Boston chowder, their Manhattan chowder was chunky. The taste of sweet tomatoes shined through.

Mom’s Clam Diggers
Boston: Right away, just visually the differences can be seen between Mom’s Clam Diggers’ chowder and Draeger Construction’s chowder. We noticed that their chowder wasn’t thick at all, but more of a lighter cream broth with a smokey and peppery finish.

The Clamtone Cruzers
Boston: It was back to the thicker Boston chowder with The Clamtone Cruzers. It seemed that the flavor mainly came from herbs they must have used.

Cabrillo Culinary Arts
Manhattan: Those who like a little heat would have enjoyed this Manhattan chowder. The chowder was bold and spicy.

Boston: On the other hand, Cabrillo Culinary Arts’ Boston chowder had a very sweet finish.

Aegis of Aptos
Boston: Strangely enough, the last Boston chowder that we sampled was almost a combination of every Boston chowder that we had. Both sweet and smokey, every bite reminded me of what I had throughout the afternoon. Almost the perfect way to end it.

We went to the festival not looking for the best… That’s left for the judges to decide. We were there more for enjoying everyone’s take on clam chowder and appreciating all of the uniqueness each competitor brought to the cook off. Whether they were cooking clam chowder based from passed down family recipes or just a plan amongst a circle of friends, everyone was out to have a good time.

Below is the list of the winners of the 29th Annual Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off & Festival:

Best Professional Boston
1st Place – Severino’s Grill, Chef Antonio Gomez (Aptos)
2nd Place – Blackboard Catering, Chef Clint Hughey (Santa Cruz)
3rd Place – Lil Biscuit House, Chef Martin Krawetz (San Mateo)

Best Professional Manhattan
1st Place – Severino’s Grill, Chef Miguel Ponce (Aptos)
2nd Place – Blackboard Catering, Chef Clint Hughey (Santa Cruz)
3rd Place – Cabrillo College Culinary Arts, Chef Danny Pena (Aptos)

Best Individual Manhattan
1st Place – “Little Kahuna” – Brad Winding (Castro Valley)
2nd Place – “Dragonmama’s Red” – Michelle Ber (Fremont)
3rd Place – “Mitchell’s Chowder” – Zack Mitchell (Santa Cruz)

Best Individual Boston
1st Place – “Ye Oldde Cape Codders” – Darin Wallace (Oak Grove)
2nd Place – “Clam Rock” – Chris Hirz (San Jose)
3rd Place – “Clamma Lamma Ding Dongs” – Amy Gilmore (Roseville)

Best Corporate
1st Place – Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz)
2nd Place – Jerry’s of Hollister (Hollister)
3rd Place – MYC Delta Clammers (Martinez)

Most Original Team
1st – Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing (Santa Cruz)
2nd – Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz)
3rd – Cocoanut Grove Castaways (Santa Cruz)

People’s Choice
Professional: Severino’s Grills (Aptos)
Corporate: Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz)
Individual: Grandma’s Clam Digger (Aptos)

Most Tasted
Professioinal: Carmona’s BBQ & Deli (Watsonville)
Corporate: Draeger Construction (San Jose)
Individual: Rosie’s Clam & Get it (Soquel)

On Sunday I visited the Menlo Park farmers market. Plenty of vendors were showcasing their produce. There was one booth that captured my attention, not because of fresh fruits or vegetables, but pizzas. Pizza at a farmers market? I had to check it out.

The man behind the pizzas was Roland Konicke, a New Yorker who moved to Santa Cruz to share his passion for pizza. It was here he founded Uncie Ro’s Take and Bake Pizza. First thing to keep in mind is Roland’s pizzas are far from being an ordinary take and bake pizza. I had a chance to talk with Roland about why his pizzas are so special.

I found out that his pizzas are focused on using locally available organic ingredients. Roland pointed towards the pizzas he had on display and said, “I just made these pizzas yesterday.”

His hand crafted pizzas use flour from a company out in San Francisco. What’s more impressive is that the toppings he uses are purchased at local farmers markets. His vision of supporting local farms seems to be the driving force behind the company. “Everything, but the cheese is locally grown. The cheeses on these pizzas were imported from Italy,” said Roland. I was sold. I took a Sausage & Pepper pizza home with me to try out for dinner.

The pizza was topped with four different cheeses – Provolone, Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Romano. The sausage was made from grass fed pork. What really catches your eye are the bright red bell peppers on the pizza. I was anxious to see how the flavors would marry together. I threw the pizza into oven and soon enough, the smell of the sausage and fennel filled the kitchen.

Continue Reading » Uncie Ro’s Organic Artisan Pizzas

Saturday, February 21, 2009, was the 28th Annual Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off & Festival. This yearly event brings out the best of the best from Northern California to compete for the crown of Best Clam Chowder. Attending this event allows you to sample both Boston and Manhattan clam chowders.

Contestants were divided into to three divisions. The first division was made up of Individuals that consisted of families sharing their version of clam chowder. Next, there was the Professional division that ranged from restaurants, food caterers, to culinary schools. Finally, the last group was the Corporate/Media division. This bunch was made up of cooks representing companies and organizations. Both the best Boston and Manhattan clam chowder titles would be awarded separately. A select panel of judges was to pick the winners later that afternoon.

We arrived a little past noon at the Boardwalk just in time to see contestants wrapping up the rest of their prep work. Stoves were lit and everyone was busily hurrying to get their chowder ready for public tasting.

Tasting Kits were available for event goers. Each kit included a small paper cup, spoon, napkin, and a blue voting ticket for you to pick your favorite chowder. The contestants with the most blue tickets would be crowned the People’s Choice Winner. Your Tasting Kit also included five tickets that you would hand out to each contestant so that you could sample their clam chowder. You also had to make sure you don’t throw your cup away. You had to reuse it each time you were to sample chowder from different booths. You could see that our cups were pretty much beat up by the end of the tasting.

So, how do you pick out which chowder to try out with only five tickets to redeem? It helped that past event winners showed off their reward plaques that they’ve collected over the years. Some contestants went as far as dressing up in costumes and setting up themed booths to catch the attention of people walking by. I found the best way to find out which chowder to try was to actually talk to the people at the booths. This way, we found out the stories behind their clam chowder and what makes their chowder stand out above the rest.

I was browsing through a pamphlet that listed all of the contestants and last year’s event winners. It was our first time at the event and we wanted to be as fair as possible when it came to selecting which chowders we planned to taste. We ignored the list of the 2008 winners so that we could find our own favorites. We also went on a little chatting spree with several booths to find out more about them and their clam chowder.

2 Guys Cook’in

I wondered what makes a good clam chowder. Eric from the 2 Guys Cook’in booth said, “It’s all about the clams. Whether they’re fresh or canned.”

This group from Ben Lomond have always tried to create something new with clam chowder. This year they tried to have a Thai inspired clam chowder that uses coconut milk, basil, and lemon grass.

Moms Clam Diggers
This is a family operation from Aptos. Their booth showed pictures of their family digging out clams from a sea shore. What made their chowder different was the Mexican flare they added. It looks like this group prided their chowder on their heritage.

Draeger Construction
What caught our attention was the chef chopping up crispy strips of bacon. I was able to talk to one of the representatives from their booth and I asked what made their chowder stand out.

“Our chowder is not low in calories. Be warned!”

She pointed out the bacon as she told me about their chowder. She also pulled out a boxed carton of the largest slab of cream cheese that I’ve ever seen. After seeing that, I knew she wasn’t kidding about the calories in this one.

Dominican Hospital
A very whimsical fellow from this booth was dressed up as a doctor. He used his stethoscope on the pot of clam chowder and kiddingly said, “I think we killed the clams!”

We exchanged a few words about what kind clams they were using. He said they used fresh Manila Clams. I noticed the bowl right in front of me and saw how the clams were sautéed in garlic. I sampled a taste of the clams and it peaked my interest to see how they would taste in chowder.

Chowder Kids Making Bacon
When bacon is in the air, the crowds are there. You could just smell bacon as you walked by this booth. The smell attracted a large crowd. We decided to give it a try just because of the long line that was forming.

Fog Mountain Café

With contestants using the same basic ingredients, it’s almost crucial that you take a step to differentiate yourself from others. We saw that with Fog Mountain Café’s chowder. They utilized applewood smoked bacon and roasted corn. We saw the beautiful yellow corn being heated over two skillets as the rest of the Fog Mountain Café team worked on getting their chowder together.

Good Samaritan Hospital
This high spirited bunch showed off over 20 of their awards that they’ve collected in past events. We just had to stop and see how they managed to win so much.

“Chef Ray Ramirez is behind the chowder. It’s his secret.”

I knew that not everyone was going to share their recipe for success. As we were about to leave the Good Samaritan Hospital booth, we heard a loud yell from behind. A military sound off was happening at their booth. This little skit accompanied the military uniforms and theme they had going.

It goes to show you that family recipes, secret ingredients, and special techniques will always be a part of making one’s clam chowder the best.

I mean, look at this modified drill made specifically for mixing up clam chowder.

It was such a fantastic event. It was great fun especially if you are a big clam chowder fan. My experience with clam chowder was limited to what was available in restaurants in Monterey’s Fisherman’s Warf. Being able to attend the Clam Chowder Festival was a welcomed change to what I’m used to. To have several samples of different chowders with their own distinct characteristics really can show you how clam chowder isn’t just clam chowder.

A special thank you goes out to Kiersten of Foodbuzz and the Foodie Correspondent Program and the contestants that let us chat with them. Also, another thank you to Brigid Fuller from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Below is the list of the winners of the 28th Annual Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off & Festival:

Best Professional Boston
1st Place – Blackboard Catering , Santa Cruz
2nd Place – Cabrillo College Culinary Arts, Aptos
3rd Place – Lil Biscuit House, San Mateo

Best Professional Manhattan
1st Place – Severino’s Grill, Aptos
2nd Place – Cabrillo College Culinary Arts, Aptos
3rd Place – Redwood Sluggers, UCSC

Best Individual Manhattan
1st Place – Little Kahuna Chowder, Brad Winding, Castro Valley
2nd Place – Grandma’s Clam Diggers, Salome Ponce, Aptos
3rd Place – Manhattan Mama, Kathy Cooper, Sacramento

Best Individual Boston
1st Place – Clam Halen, Brad Bishop, Santa Cruz
2nd Place – Rack of Clams, Tom Mietz, Santa Cruz
3d Place – Moms Clam Diggers, Salome Ponce, Aptos

Best Corporate
1st Place – Aegis of Aptos, Aptos
2nd Place – Draeger Construction, San Jose
3rd Place – Dominican Oaks, Santa Cruz

Most Original Team
Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose

People’s Choice
Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose

Most Tasted
Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose
Carmona’s BBQ Deli, Watsonville
Rosie’s Clam & Get It

Sal Dinapoli Special Spirit Award
Continental Airlines

The Mystery Spot
465 Mystery Spot Road
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
(831) 423-8897
www.mysteryspot.com

When driving on the highway do you notice yellow bumper stickers on cars that say “Mystery Spot”? Have you ever wondered what a Mystery Spot is?

Located in Santa Cruz, CA, the Mystery Spot is something that puzzles and amazes many. You will find that when you reach the Mystery Spot, you have the opportunity to go on a guided walking tour that will explain it all. The tour guide will first explain the history of the Mystery Spot. Next, you will get to experience the powers of the Mystery Spot. The tour guide will ask for volunteers to demonstrate the first exhibit which involves standing on one of two level surfaces as you face your partner. You then will switch spots and face each other again. If you are shorter than your partner, will you believe me that you will be taller than them when you participate in the exhibit? You have to try it.

Next, the tour leads up into a cabin. Again, the tour guide will show you around the cabin. Note to those who get easily dizzy, be careful. After going through the cabin, you will get a chance to participate in more exhibits. It can get pretty crazy. You can take a look at the pictures. The last picture is an older photo taken that shows you what else can happen. I don’t want to spoil anything else. You really have to experience the Mystery Spot yourself. Plus, you get to take home a free bumper sticker to show off.

It’s a spot for dates because…
You have to bring someone with you for to fully experience the Mystery Spot. If you get a chance to participate in the exhibits, you’ll have plenty of laughs and memories to remember.