Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook-Off Heats Up

SANTA CRUZ, CA, 2013-02-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — The 32nd Annual Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook-Off will be heating things up at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Saturday, February 23, 2013.  More than 70 chowders will be prepared by a combination of professional and amateur chefs.Admission to the rain or shine event is free; tasting kits are $9 for 5 samples. Both Manhattan and Boston clam chowders will be available, the white Boston-style clam chowder is always more popular.

Preparation and cooking start at 10am, tasting starts at 1pm. Winners will be announced at 4:00pm. Visitors are advised to arrive before noon for the popular event.

The Clam Chowder Cook-Off has raised more than one million dollars for the City of Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department since the first event in 1981. Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation staff work with the Boardwalk to coordinate the well-attended event.

New this year, the winner of Best Professional Boston will be automatically qualified for the 2013 World Food Championships in Las Vegas (worldfoodchampionships.com).

In addition to local competitors, out-of-town competitors will arrive from as far afield as Los Angeles, Fresno, and Sacramento. Local restaurants hoping to bring home the gold include Ideal Bar and Grill, Rocky’s Café, Parish Publick House, Severino’s Bar and Grill, Rosie McCann’s, South Beach Pizza, East Side Eatery, and MacKenzie Bar and Grill.

The event’s creative tradition continues with teams coming up with original names and themes such as this year’s Silence of the Clams, Rack of Clams, Amish Paradise, Clam-I-Am, Bivalves in Cream, and Clam Halen.

Boardwalk rides are scheduled to open from 11am to 6pm on the day of the event, weather permitting. For more information please visit http://www.beachboardwalk.com/clamchowder/