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An early morning snowfall did not stop Saline residents from attending the annual Soup-er Bowl Cookoff at the Saline Area Senior Center on Friday. This popular fundraiser attracts a steady group of loyal soup tasters every year.
Eva Benevento, SASC board secretary, was on hand to greet visitors and pass out the official soup-tasting ballots.
“The attendance was really amazing because the weather was not great, but it was very well attended,” she said. “ People pre-registered, but we also had a lot of walk-ins. Lots of people came. It was a tremendous turnout, and lots of people loved it.”
Benevento was also able to sample the entries.
“My favorite? It was cucumber soup. I’d never even heard of cucumber soup, but it was amazing. It had a slight kick to it, and it was delicious. Everybody I talked to who tried it was surprised by how good it was. And Joe Gates (H and R Block co-owner) offered the recipe!”
Megan Kenyon, SASC program coordinator, thanked EHM Senior Solutions for their continued sponsorship of this event. She also thanked all of the volunteers, along with the 19 different organizations that contributed to the 24 soup offerings.
Saline District Library provided the plaques that were awarded to the winners, and judges made their official decisions.
Following are the winning organizations and their entries:
- Half-Time Show Stopper: Liberty Club, for Tomato Bisque Soup
- Rookie of the Year: H and R Block, for Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder with Gnocchi
- Offensive Line Award: Brecon Village, for JT’s Tuscany Bean Soup
- Most Valuable Pot/People’s Choice Award: Newcomer Susan Rosales with State Farm, for Beef Bourguignon, Velvety Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup
- Runner Up: Brewed Awakenings new owner, Jackie Marcinkiewicz, for Potato with Bacon Soup
- Second Runner Up: H and R Block, Corn Chowder
- Laura Williams and Joe Gates, owners of H and R Block, entered the contest for the first time this year.
“We saw it promoted, and I said ‘Hey, we need to do this! So we planned and figured it out, and we are so happy to be here,” Williams said.
“I’d love to say I made the soup, but one of the ladies from our office, Susan Meister made it, and she is home with grandkids. I came to spoon it up,” Williams said.
Attendance to the event was $5 per visitor, with proceeds going to various projects at the center. Program director Megan Kenyon also said that funds would help with the many upgrades that are currently underway during the center’s remodel.
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