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Attendees paid $1 for 3oz soup samples at each location, and voted at the end for their favorite soup at both a restaurant and a local organization. Winners receive a trophy for the Best Soup in the City at a restaurant and Best Soup in the City at a local organization. The event was sponsored by the local WellNow Urgent Care Center, and has been an annual event for almost a decade.
Lyon Street Bar and Grill is the two-time defending Most Unique Soup champion. Among the competitors were: Herk’s Tavern: Flipper Fasool Lorenzo’s Southside: Pasta Fagioli; Gnocchi Chicken and Vegetable Soup Shorty’s Southside: Italian Minestra and New England Clam Chowder Anthony’s Deli: Italian Wedding Soup Fresh Basil: Teftel Meatball Soup; Borscht Amsterdam Municipal Golf Course: Sausage Tortellini Soup Sharp Shooters Billiards: Lasagna Soup and Broccoli Cheddar Soup Schwalbacher Brewing: Spicy Brazilian Coconut Shrimp Soup Rug City Bar and Lounge: Chicken Corn Chowder Joe’s Family: Pasta Fagioli Polish American Veterans: Kielbasa Potato Soup Second Act Spirits: Bourbon Butternut Squash VFW Post 701: Ham Soup Russo’s Bar & Grill: Chili and Chicken Pastine Bosco’s Family Restaurant: Cheddar Bacon and Potato Soup Creekside: Crab and Corn Chowder Lyon Street Bar and Grill: Bacon, Mushroom Cheeseburger Chowder and Pasta Fagioli 72 Tuman’s Restaurant: Cream of Potato Soup and Kielbasa Soup Europa Cafe: Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder Soup Five Corners Deli: Chicken Stew St. Michael’s Club: Polish Soup Schott’s Tavern: Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Michael Viscosi, an attorney in Johnstown, said Creekside’s Crab and Corn Chowder was among one of the best soups he tasted at the event.
“This one's good,” Michael said. “Russo’s was really good too, they had a really good chili.” County Executive Pete Vroman, who also tried Creekside’s Chowder, commended the city for organizing the community event.
“It is a great event to come to in Amsterdam. Everybody's got a little bit of the mid-winter thing going on,” Vroman said. “We're ready for spring, and it is so nice to get out of the house and come over here and be around a bunch of nice people and eat a lot of great soup.
Vinnie Nicosia, who works out of the Montgomery County Business Center and County Executive's Office, agreed with Vroman, and said the event is a great way to bring people together. “I think it's just a great community event,” Nicosia said. “Amsterdam, their Rec and Tourism Department puts on a lot of great events throughout the year to bring people together and bring them out for things to do around the community.
It's a great community event – and obviously the soup is great at the same time, it's a win, win.” Julie Drake, who served patrons Sharp Shooters Billiard’s Lasagna Soup and Broccoli Cheddar Soup, said the event was a way to get new customers into their doors. “It's a good way to kind of check out our place that people normally wouldn't go to, so this is really cool,” she said.
“It’s good to get communities together.” Victoria Hollingsworth, who works as a hostess at Bosco’s Family Restaurant and served their Cheddar Bacon and Potato Soup with her daughter, Rowan, said her personal connection to the venue made the event especially special. “We love contributing to the community with it and getting more people in the door to try Bosco’s out if they haven't already,” she said.
“I used to work here when I was in high school, and I've been coming here since literally before I was born. [Rowan’s] older sister has, too, we actually had her older sister's first birthday party here.” Winners for the city’s SoupFest will be announced late Saturday night, or on Sunday.
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