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East End Seaport Museum proposes June chowder contest

Greenport-Maritime-Festival-chowder-contest
A Mano’s chef Tom Schaudel accepts the trophy for Best in Show from chef John Ross as judge Paula Croteau looks on at the 2010 Maritime Festival. (Credit: Jay Webster, file)

Maritime Festival organizers are making good on their promise to bring back the popular chowder contest to Greenport this year — but it won’t happen during the village’s annual festival in September. 

The East End Seaport Museum president Ron Breuer is proposing to hold the event on June 8 in the Chase Bank parking lot on Carpenter Street, near Greenport Harbor Brewing Company.

Mr. Breuer said the decision to hold the competition as a separate fundraising event prior to the festival was made in order to take some pressure off chefs and allow for more restaurants to participate. 

Last year, Maritime festival organizers said that the logistics of conducting the long-running chowder contest were difficult for chefs, who had a hard time preparing up to 25 gallons of chowder for the contest and keeping up with busy kitchens during the popular festival.

After many festival goers express their disappointment about the museum’s decision to end the popular competition, members of the Greenport Farmers Market tried to bring back the contest in time for the festival, but were unsuccessful due to time constraints.

The Village Board is expected to vote on the museum’s request to close village roads for the chowder contest at its regular meeting on Monday, April 28.

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