CHOWDER TIME
Thousands enjoy 13th annual Troy ChowderFest
TROY, N.Y. » The 13th annual Troy ChowderFest drew droves of chowder-lovers to the Collar City’s downtown district.
All were invited to taste and judge some of the best chowders in the area during Sunday’s event, presented by the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District.
An estimated 30,000 eventgoers from near and far attended the festival, which featured 25 chowders from 17 local competitors as well as live music, vendors, kids’ activities and an opportunity to explore downtown Troy.
“This is our 13th year of ChowderFest, and it is bigger and better than ever before,” said Katie Hammon, executive director of the Downtown Troy BID, noting that the event aims to attract visitors to the district while offering residents something fun to do for the day too.
“It’s a really awesome way that we can showcase Troy and let people see what’s here so they can come back,” Hammon continued.
Second- time attendee Dawn Eakin traveled to Troy ChowderFest from Cobleskill.
“It’s a beautiful day, and the chowder is always good,” she said. Eakin and her party made a weekend out of Capital Region food festivals this year by attending the 6th annual Saratoga International Flavorfeast on Saturday in Saratoga Springs.
While trying her first chowder sample of the day on the patio at Ryan’s Wake, Eakin said, “It’s delicious!”
Local restaurants enjoy participating in ChowderFest each fall. New to the competition this year was Barn and Bistro, a Westerlobased business that is part of the weekly Troy Waterfront Farmers Market. Though it already has a strong Troy following, “We wanted to promote our business a little bit more,” said co- owner Regina Bryant, noting that it may expand to Troy in the future. Bryant and her family served a seafood chowder with orzo as their debut
ChowderFest recipe.
Nonprofit organization Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area competes in the event every year.
“We like to spread the message of the Boys & Girls Club and our food service program that serves 1,100 meals a day for kids in the Capital area,” said chief operating officer Patrick Doyle, between serving samples of Thai shrimp corn chowder created by the organization’s new food service director Chris Guy.
More information about the Downtown Troy BID and its other upcoming events is available online at www.downtowntroy.org.