Chowder is the Soup Santa Cruz Loves the Best
2015 Clam Chowder Cook-off
By Marc Ricketts
A blue sky waited in Santa Cruz that day,
The clouds later arrived, but that was OK,
We were happy, of course, that the rain stayed away,
Because we had a very important mission that day!
Once again chefs both professional and amateur had gathered on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the 34th annual Clam Chowder Cook-Off, so let’s dig in.
Oh. Right. So, they won’t actually be serving any chowder until the afternoon, so let’s see what else is happening in the meantime. The newest development on the Boardwalk is operational, with the old wristbands being replaced by one’s bearing bar codes which are scanned at every ride, so Big Caveman is watching you.
The newest ride remains the spinning coaster Undertow. The lines are consistently longer than what Hurricane, the space’s previous ride, was getting in its last days. A couple of brief downtimes was a factor as well on this day.
From the newest to the oldest, it’s always fun to take a spin on the historic Looff Carousel. Not only do those on the outside steeds get to fling rings towards the Clown’s mouth, but those saddles all feature an item tied to the back. It could be a bedroll, something to eat, or even a weapon one could use to acquire a bedroll and something to eat.
A visit to the Boardwalk without riding the Giant Dipper, built by the younger Looff and still rolling strong in its 90th year, would just be wrong.
Another reason to love the Boardwalk: dark rides! The Haunted Castle is still looking great after its upgrades from a few years back, and everything seemed to be functioning perfectly.
The Cave Train, however, seems to always have one or two things not working the last few rides taken by your humble narrator. Most are simple mechanics and eventually get repaired, so at least nothing else has been removed since the loss of the spinning Time Tunnel.
Still, it’s always fun to visit the pre-historic Boardwalk, knocking back a libation at Mugy’s, and exploring the Monster Cave. We can only hope that mai…………wait a minute. What was the name of that band playing at Mugy’s?
The Clamtones! That’s it; we’re on a mission.
So here’s the deal. Tasting kits get one everything seen above, including tickets for five samples and ballots for both white (or Pure) chowder or red (or Evil) chowder. Cooks have an hour to prep and two hours to cook before the tasting begins; and the enticing smells, along with anything else that might grab one’s attention, lure the famished to the Promised Land.
And lured they are.
There are also awards given by a panel of judges, but since they don’t share, we don’t care. I could list out all the various winners, but quite frankly it’s unlikely that you know any of those people; and if you do, don’t you think they’d rather tell you themselves? I think this guy is much more interesting.
And, as always, never seen a wait here.
I do understand that you are allowed to stand around for 45 minutes before ordering if that’s a crucial component of the experience. For everyone else, my friend will save you a spot on the bench.
