BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Judges and attendees alike crowned an unusual entry from ArtsQuest's Palette and Pour restaurant as the best soup in Bethlehem on Sunday.
The decision came at ArtsQuest’s annual Souper Bowl showdown.
Attendees could vote for their favorite soup from a total of 15 dishes created by nine local restaurants, plus the Northampton Community College Culinary Arts Department.
This year’s entries included flavors from across the globe: Indian-inspired tomato tikka masala from the NCC Culinary Arts students, West Asian Mujaddara from Forks Mediterranean Deli, Irish colcannon soup from McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub and Latin American sancocho from Panchitas Kitchen, to name a few.
Sunday’s big winner, Palette and Pour, took home four prizes in all, including both the people's and judges’ choice awards for its tapioca and purple sweet potato soup topped with mango and dried banana chips.
The soup — cold, silky, creamy, a bit sweet and a bit fruity, with a touch of holiday spice on the finish — also won the award for the most unique soup.
“At first, I was, like, ‘Oh, it’s a milky cold soup?’ until you taste it and you get all the sweetness and the flavors. And then the crunch and the fruit, then it's ‘OK, I'll have another bowl.'''Amoya Walford, a culinary supervisor with ArtsQuest's Palette and Pour
It’s “amazing and different,” said Amoya Walford, a culinary supervisor with Palette and Pour, which is based in the ArtsQuest Center.
“At first, I was, like, ‘Oh, it’s a milky cold soup?’ until you taste it and you get all the sweetness and the flavors," she said. "And then the crunch and the fruit, then it's ‘OK, I'll have another bowl.'''
Judges also declared Palette and Pour’s chorizo crab chowder the best seafood-based entry.
Molly’s Irish Grille took home the prize for best cream-based soup with its cheesy chicken chowder.
NCC Culinary Arts won best vegan soup with its tomato tikka masala. And La Maya’s tortilla soup was named the best meat-based creation.
Continuing administration change
For ArtsQuest, the annual event is a chance to showcase cooking as one of the many art forms the group highlights throughout the year, said Ryan Hill, the nonprofit’s senior director of programming.
Plus, it’s a chance to boost spending at some of the region’s local restaurants, Hill said.
Attendees, too, appreciate the chance to sample several of the Lehigh Valley’s restaurants in one place.
"It's very social for us, but it's really great to see and experience really good food. People care about what they're making — you taste it in what’s offered.”Sally Jeffreys of Bethlehem, a patron at Souper Bowl
“You get to experience some restaurants which you may not know about, so we can then be patrons of those places,” said Sally Jeffreys of Bethlehem, who said she comes to the competition every year with a group of friends.
“It's very social for us, but it's really great to see and experience really good food. People care about what they're making — you taste it in what’s offered.”
Sunday’s Souper Bowl, the 15th edition, is the first in recent years without a live band in ArtsQuest’s Musikfest Cafe, where the contest takes place.
“While we like the idea of having a live band, not [having one] allowed us to not have a stage in, which opened up the floor a little bit more," Hill said.
“That always feels a little weird, to put a band up and say, ‘Hey, nobody's gonna really actually pay attention to you, but they're all going to be shoving soup in their face.”
ArtsQuest is considering whether to bring a live band back next year, Hill said.
