Vancouver, WA – More than 840 guests and 90 volunteers attended Soup’s On! Celebrity Chefs Compete for Share on Sun., Oct. 6 at ilani Casino Resort. The event was presented by Davidson & Associates Insurance and supported by Columbia Credit Union, Fred Meyer, Pacific Premier Bank and Vancouver Grocery Outlet.

A major highlight of the event was the awards for best soup with the coveted Golden Ladle People’s Choice Award for Soup-er Chef awarded to Tim Conklin of Line & Lure at ilani Casino Resort for his Smoked Steelhead Chowder. The Presenting Sponsor’s Choice for Best Soup by Davidson & Associates Insurance was presented to Marian Adams-Manuel of Frontier Public House for her Curried Pumpkin Bisque. The Chef’s Choice Award for Best Soup was presented to Brandon Carmon of Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center for his Green Chile Chicken Enchilada.

A total of 12 local celebrity chefs participated in the ‘Chef Battle,’ with guests sampling each soup and casting a ballot. Representatives from Davidson & Associates Insurance cast a vote for the Presenting Sponsor’s Choice and each chef cast a vote for the Chef’s Choice. Additional restaurants included Beaches Restaurant & Bar, New Seasons Market, Nom Nom Restaurant & Grill, Pacific House, Sixth Avenue Bistro, 3 Sheets at the Harbor, Tommy O’s Pacific Rim Grill, Warehouse ’23 and WildFin American Grill.

Each guest took home an artisan soup bowl created by local artists Pat Brame, Nick Molatore, Honna Sheffield and Chris Brodigan.

The evening’s program also included the presentation of the 2019 Emily Marshall Volunteer of the Year Award to Marc Veneroso and the 2019 Community Partnership Award to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Share is placing an open call for restaurants/caterers in Clark County (note: participating businesses must be open to the public) who are interested in competing at our Sun. Oct 11, 2020 ‘Harry Potter & the Cauldron of Soup’-themed Soup’s On! event. Contact Kim Hash at khash@sharevancouver.org or 360-952-8227 by Fri. Oct. 18 to enter your restaurant or catering business for consideration. All three soup award winners from the 2019 event are automatically invited to compete in the 2020 event; an additional nine participants will be randomly drawn and invited to compete.

Participants are required to provide the following:

• Provide a total of approximately 20 gallons of soup, which will provide 1-ounce samples of soup for 800 – 900 guests and 90 volunteers for judging, and 10-12 ounce servings for dinner, upon request.  Guests select which soup they would like for the dinner portion, so only a portion of the audience members receive a full dinner serving. 
• Provide all equipment needed for the event including: soup warmer, kitchen rags, gloves, power cords, soup vessels, spoons, whisks, sterno, a thermometer, etc.
• Provide gift certificates in the following amounts: 3 - $10; 2 - $25; 1 - $50; 1 - $100 (optional) which will be placed in centerpieces which can be bid on by guests.

About Share

Share was founded in 1979 with the goal of caring for the homeless and hungry in the greater Vancouver area. Share operates three shelters for the homeless, a transitional housing program, Lincoln Place (a 30-unit Housing First model apartment complex), a street outreach program, including a Day Center, a Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) program, provides case management to clients and provides daily meals for the homeless and low-income members of our community. Share also operates a summer meals program for low-income children and a backpack program benefitting 1,535+ children at 95 schools to provide food for weekends to children receiving free or reduced-fee lunches. Additionally, Share offers financial programs that incorporate financial education and matched dollars for savings; these programs are designed to assist in the improvement of credit scores and financial management. For more information on Share, visit our Web site at www.sharevancouver.org.

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