Mattapoisett Fire Lieutenant Justin Dubois had no clue that his idea to hold the Firefighter’s Association Chowder Competition would be met with such enthusiasm by the community. During a follow-up interview, Dubois said anywhere from 300 to 400 community members turned out for the September 13 event to sample the recipes of 16 different teams and to support the Mattapoisett Firefighter’s Association through ticket sales and raffles.
“It was a huge success,” said Dubois. “We’re very ecstatic. There was a lot of hard work that went into this.”
The competition was split into two categories: public safety and professional. In the public safety category, the Rochester Firefighter’s Association took first place with its clam chowder recipe.
The Rochester group – Andrew Daniels, Keith Richards, Albert Weigel, Jeff Eldridge, and Tracy Eldridge – said the secret to making a delicious, memorable clam chowder was making it with lots of love … and lots of clams, of course. What really helped, though, was the “new kitchen” they had to make it in, an inside joke of sorts by the way they chuckled.
The clincher for what made their chowder the best, they said, was the “fried clam floaters,” and the guests must have concurred, since the Rochester Firefighter’s Association also won the People’s Choice Award.
Second place in the public safety competition went to the Rochester Facilities Department, and third went to the Marion Fire Department.
In the professional category, Joe Mello and Joe Sauro, owners of The Stowaway, took first place and shared the secret to a perfect clam chowder.
“Make sure you dig your own clams,” the duo said.
The Stowaway also took the People’s Choice Award.
Second place went to Shipyard Galley, and third place went to Salty Dog Ranch.
Dubois said some people who attended the event suggested they hold a second chowder competition next year and make it an annual event.
“Everybody that I talked to was pretty much begging us to do it next year,” said Dubois.
By Jean Perry
