By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
It was all things Chowder on Saturday, November 4th, as the Medfield Lions Club sponsored their annual ChowderFest at The Center at Medfield. This year, the Lions decided to switch things up a bit and create a “Mystery Chowder Tasting Challenge” in which everyone would blind taste test each chowder and vote for their favorite at the end.
This highly anticipated event had a steady crowd throughout and everyone was able to leave with a stomach full of chowder. For eight dollars, each attendee received six tickets, one for each chowder as well as a bonus ticket to eat your favorite for a second time. All proceeds collected will be given to The Friends of Seniors (FOSI).
The five restaurants competing in this challenge were The Ice House, Avenue, Noon Hill Grill, Basil, and The Village Griddle. Each of these five restaurant’s chowders were given a number one through five. When tasting each one, participants made sure to keep track of their favorite’s number so that they could vote for it once they finished all of them.
As an added bonus, each table had baskets of oyster crackers donated by The Village Griddle and dinner rolls donated by Blue Moon Bagel Cafe. With these delicious sides, everyone was able to create and indulge in their perfect cup of chowder.
Lions Club member, Marjorie Cappucci, was seen helping out in the kitchen, making sure the chowders came out piping hot. She ventured over to all the tables, asking how this new mystery challenge was for everyone. When talking with her about this change within the event, she mentioned how she absolutely loved the idea since this way, people will blind vote instead of just simply voting for the restaurant they like best.
Once the tasting was complete, everyone was able to find out which number represented which restaurant. The numbers for each restaurant included: #1 Avenue, #2 Basil, #3 The Ice House, #4 Noon Hill Grill, and #5 The Village Griddle. To make things easier for herself and those keeping track, Marjorie placed them in alphabetical order!
No matter who you voted for, each of the five chowders in the competition were absolutely delicious. It sure was a difficult decision to make but everyone really did seem to like the new set up for this year. Only time will tell if the Medfield Lions Club will continue this friendly competition down the road.
