Sold right out both Thursday and Friday nights and featuring a who's who of the local restaurant and food purveyor industry, the 2019 edition of the Penticton Art Gallery's Soup Bowls Project is now in the books.
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And what have we learned? We've learned that the Penticton foodie scene is catching fire, baby.
Buoyed by a proliferation of new Soup Bowls entrants, itself a sign of the times in the suddenly burgeoning Penticton eatery biz, this year's battle seemed to have a little extra zing, a little extra fervor.
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Just look at the names. Places like Block 300 Casual Steakhouse, The Black Antler, the Nautical Dog Café, Slackwater Brewing, and Elma weren't even in existence when the competition last took flight in November of 2018.
So perhaps it’s not surprising then that perpetual favourite Brodo Kitchen, the oft-winning restaurant whose name is traditionally spoken only in hushed tones amongst other Soup Bowls entrants, missed the mark in 2019.
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This year, the glory was reserved for a pair of combatants who specifically claimed just two weeks ago right here in PentictonNow that they were gunning to take down the top bananas.
Thursday night, it was the Nautical Dog and its "Pumpkin Coconut Curry of Special Magnificence" that walked away with the esteemed People's Choice Award. That boss Fergy Ferguson brought along a pirate ship big enough to fit a couple people inside only added to the evening's festive nature.
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Friday night, Smugglers Smokehouse climbed to the top with its "Smoked turkey, white bean, and salsa verde." For head Smuggler Josh Shulman, whose venue regularly aces the Gallery's chili cook-off in late winter, it was the first Soup Bowls victory.
The big winner of course was the Art Gallery itself. And curator Paul Crawford was jazzed.
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"This is a perennial hit for us here at the gallery. We're sold out both nights. 200 to 225 a night. That helps carry us through the first quarter of the year. All the grants have come and gone, so it's all self-generated revenue until the beginning of March."
Crawford also recognized the increased intensity of the 2019 iteration. "It's been amazing to see the growth in the restaurant industry in Penticton over the last year, and it's equally amazing to see a lot of them here tonight. A revitalized and vibrant downtown is what we need."
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"When I first came here, it was all nightclubs. And then to watch them die off one by one, and then watch the resurgence of brew pubs and stuff that are actually more like community living rooms. It's so healthy for the community, places where you can hang out and chat."
One of this year's newbies was Block 300 Casual Steakhouse. Headed by new general manager Dekland Decoste, the Block 300 table featured a chicken curry lentil on night one and a jalapeno cheddar Friday.
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"People were coming up last night saying everybody's talking about your soup," said Decoste Friday evening. "And then we ran out. So a whole bunch of people didn't get to try it."
Night two's jalapeno cheddar was "a medium spice level, garnished with salsa and fresh tortilla strips." And it too was disappearing quickly.
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"This event is amazing," he said. "Everybody is in such a great mood, and it gives you a chance to try all these different establishments. If you really like something, it gives you a reason to go to that restaurant."
It’s the Nova Scotia native's third year in Penticton, and he said he likes the vibe. "I've done events like this in the past, but when it comes to Penticton, it always feels a little bit more homey. More close knit. You see so many people you know."
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Directly across the room was another first-timer, Karl Mancheron of Okanagan Falls' acclaimed KJ Coffee Bar. And he proudly gave us an overview of his soup.
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"Its cream of caramelized onion, with a beer reduction and old cheddar emulsion, topped with pumpernickel crostini. We're pairing it with a Naramata Nut Brown from The Cannery (Brewing Company), just to open your appetite. Or you can drop it in the soup to add more character."
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Mancheron called it a highly technical recipe. "It involves a lot of steps. I caramelized the onion last night for over four hours. You have to caramelize your onion until it's almost black."
Other than that, the ingredient list and procedures remain somewhat mysterious. "I came up with this soup 15 years ago and I couldn’t give out my recipe tonight (in the Soup Bowls Project recipe handout) because I'm very secretive about it," said Mancheron.
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Coming up next for the Penticton Art Gallery is the opening reception for "SheShe," an exhibit by Vernon artist Julie Oakes that Crawford says will "turn the whole main gallery into a giant exhibition."
Also that evening the Gallery officially opens its annual Under 500 exhibition and sale, and serves as the end point for the "Hello Santa! A Penticton Artwalk."
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