Soup was served with a side of hospitality in the St. Francis Catholic High School gymnasium Sunday.
Thirty Gainesville restaurants competed for eight titles at the third annual Souper Fun Sunday, a soup-tasting competition held to raise money so the school can provide incoming freshmen with laptops.
Sherry Houston, the department director of the event, said the competition raised about $15,000. The entry price for children was $7.50, and the price for adults was $15.
About 700 people sampled chowders and bisques, which were all made from scratch.
The creations varied from shrimp bisque and pasta fagioli to cheeseburger chowder and pumpkin soup.
Radio personality Storm Roberts, TV anchor Paige Beck, Sen. Steve Oelrich, HOME publisher Scott Costello and local activist Nancy Perry judged the competition.
The Judge’s Choice award was tied between The Flying Biscuit Café for its chicken corn chowder and the Great Outdoors Restaurant.
The People’s Choice award went to Embers Prime Steaks Wood Grill for its crab bisque.
June Allen, one of Embers’ owners, hopes the award will spark business for the 6-month-old restaurant.
Storm Roberts, radio personality for KTK 98.5, favored the Great Outdoors’ New England clam chowder.
“The first thing that hits you is the aroma,” Roberts said about the soup. “You always taste with your nose first then with your eyes.”
Barbara Grimes, who attended the competition with her daughter, who teaches at the school, said she enjoyed every soup.
“Even the ones that I don’t like, I liked,” she said. “There’s not one that was bad.”
Grimes drove about 70 miles from Jacksonville to taste the different soups.
“Soup’s such a great comfort food,” she said. “Who doesn’t like soup?”
