16th Annual Soup Cook-Off

Due to COVID-19, we have cancelled this years Soup Cook-Off. Please note: we will be back bigger and better in 2021!~ See you then!

The Hershey Partnership’s Soup Cook-Off was held, Saturday, October 5, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. –2:00 p.m., is a fun Fall Family Event, in Hershey Pennsylvania. The address of the event is 21 W. Caracas Ave., Hershey, PA 17033. This event is organized and run by the Hershey Partnership which donates a portion of the event profits to the Hershey Volunteer Fire Company.

Each year 20-50 cooks, both professional and non-professional from the Hershey PA area prepare a wonderful variety of soups to be sampled. The public is invited to attend (fee charged) to sample the soups and vote for their favorites in each category. At the end the ballots are tallied and awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd are presented to the Cooks in each category.

In addition to tasting and voting on the soups, attendees may win one of the many door prizes including our grand prize!

Winners for our 16th Annual Soup Cook-Off: In the non-professional category, winners were: First place, Sweet and Sassy Raspberry Chipotle Chili by Kathy Nickolaus; Second place, Autumn Apple and Butternut Squash Soup by Hope Springs Farm, Adult Day Program; and Third Place, Cheesey Chicken by Ashley Adams. In the professional category, winners were: First place, Pumpkin Ale Cheddar Bisque by Devon Seafood and Steak; Second place, Cheesey Chicken Enchilada Soup by Country Meadows of Hershey; and Third place, South of the Border Sweet Corn Soup by Courtyard by Marriott.

In the junior category, age 13 and under, winners were: First place, Caldo de Gallina Peruano (Peruvian Hen Soup), by Gabriel Benavevides,-Huerta; Second place, Taco Chicken Noodle Soup by Nicholaus Diacam and Gideon Peterson; and Third place, Bacon, Broccoli and Cheddar Soup by Mia Caldonetti.

The Chef’s Choice award is selected from the nonprofessional ranks by a vote of the professional chefs in attendance. Chef’s Choice award went to Fred Stewart for his Reuben Soup with an Honorable Mention going to Federated Women’s Club of Hershey for its Carrot Soup and to Tim and Carol Klinger for their French Onion Soup.

Thank you to our corporate Sponsors:

Platimum –

ServPro of Hershey & Swatara

Gold –

Adventure Sports in Hershey

Fulton Bank

Great Sports Minds LLC

Nestico Druby, PC

Enders Insurance

Forms & Rules
Cook Sign-Up
Photos & More

Specific Activities

Host of soups to be tasted and voted on as 1st , 2nd, 3rd place
Door Prizes/drawings for $1,000s worth of products from Hershey Partnership members. With a Grand Prize drawing
Fire trucks and displays from Hershey Volunteer Fire Company

Admission

$10 for Adults – pre-purchase
$12 for Adults – at the door
$5 for children 10 and under

Jr. Chef Competition

There are 3 categories for Jr. Chef Competition this year! Each category will have a pro and non-pro level.
Professional Student Chef: for those under 18 years and enrolled in a vocational culinary program.
14-17 years of age
13 years of age and under

Forms & Rules

Professional Chefs:

There will be three place winners, each receiving a recognition plaque to display at your place of business. The 1st place winner will be awarded a “traveling pride trophy” to proudly display at your place of business. So if you have a special recipe that you know will raise some eyebrows and tempt the taste buds, please sign up! (You need to provide enough soup for approximately 400 people to sample, generally bring 6 quarts or more.)

Non – Professional Chefs and Jr. Chefs:

There will be three place winners in your divisions and each one will be awarded a cash prize! So if you have a special family recipe that you think will raise some eyebrows and tempt the taste buds, please sign up! (Non – Professional Chefs – you need to provide enough soup for approximately 400 people to sample, generally bring 6 quarts or more. Jr. Chefs please bring a serving size of a typical soup recipe to be judged by a panel of experts; the remaining soup will be offered as samples to event attendees.) For Jr. Chefs, this year there will be a panel of judges tasting your soup who will determine the first, second, and third place winners. The Chef’s Choice award is awarded by a panel of professional Chefs who taste the soups of those non-professional participants who would like to receive an input from a professional.

Past Winners

16th Annual Cook-Off Winners

JUNIOR CHEFS 13 AND UNDER

1^ST PLACE: Caldo de Gallina Peruavo by Gabriel Benavides-Huerta

2^ND PLACE: Taco Chicken Noodle Soup by Nicholas Diacau and Gideon Petersen

3^RD PLACE: Bacon, Broccoli and Cheddar Soup by Mia Caldonetti

BOB MCREDMOND AWARD-Previously known as NON PROFESSIONAL CHEF’S CHOICE AWARD

WINNER: Reuben Soup by Fred Stewart

HONORABLE MENTION: Carrot Soup by Federated Women’s Club of Hershey

French Onion by Tim and Carol Klinger

NON PROFESSIONAL CHEFS

1^ST PLACE: Sweet & Sassy Raspberry Chipotle Chili by Kathy Nikolaus

2^ND PLACE: Autumn Apple & Butternut Squash Soup by Hope Springs Farms

3^RD PLACE: Cheesy Chicken Taco Soup by Ashley Adams

PROFESSIONAL CHEFS

1st PLACE: Pumpkin Ale Cheddar Bisque by Devon Seafood and Steak

2nd PLACE: Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup by Country Meadows Retirement Community

3rd PLACE: South of the Border Street Cornbread Soup by Courtyard at Marriott

Hershey Partnership’s
15th Annual Soup –Cook Off
Winners

Chefs’ Choice Non-Professional Winner
1st place: Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Bisque by Scott and Heather Paterno
2nd place: Tuscan Sausage by Kim Corcoran
3rd place : Transylvania Chicken by Craig Schwartz
Jr. Chefs
1st Place: “Root Soup” by Mason Bennett
2nd place: “Chicken Brac” by Ixsaira Rivera and Harley Smith

Non-Professional Winners
1st Place: Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Bisque by Scott and Heather Paterno
2nd Place: Spicy Chicken and Rice with Ginger and Jalapeno Soup by Valarie Hall
3rd Place: Lentil Kale Sausage Pot Soup by Michelle Kopp
Professional Winners
1st Place: Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato Bisque; Ever Grain Brewing Company; Kurt Wewer
2nd Place: Langostino Lobster Corn Chowder; Lisa’s Café; Nick Foust
3rd Place: Jarrod Eltz – Hershey Entertainment and Resorts – Parsnip Espresso Soup

Hershey Partnership’s

14^thAnnual Soup –Cook Off

Winners

Professional Winners

1^stPlace: Curry Crab and Asparagus Soup

Lisa’s Café; Lisa Foust

2^ndPlace: Cheddar Apple Brie Soup

Hotel Hershey; Jarrod Eltz and Sydnee Wolfe

3^rdPlace: Lasagna Soup

Fenicci’s of Hershey; Phil Guarno

Non-Professional Winners

1st Place: Ham and Potato Artful Soup

Hershey Art Association

2nd Place: Low Country Boil Chowder

Elizabeth Stuart

3rd Place: Chicken Corn Noodle Soup

Scot Landis

Chefs’ Choice Non-Professional Winner

Chicken Corn Noodle Soup – Scot Landis

Jr Chef Awards

13 years and under:

1^stPlace: Chicken and Gnocchi soup

Tanner Waxman

2^ndPlace: Grandma’s Chili

Olivia Frear

3^rdPlace: Cauliflower Soup

Molly Grant

14-17 year olds

1^stPlace: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Mikayla Scott and Morgan Martin

Student Professional Chefs

1^stPlace: Creamy Sweet Vidalia Onion Soup

Tyler Landis and Corina Henry

2^ndPlace: Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

Erin Leiss, Fernando Martinez, and Adreianna Shott

Non-Professional Chefs (2016)

1st place: Scot Landis, Chicken Corn Noodle
2nd place: Steven DiLello, Italian Sausage Soup
3rd place: The Hershey Area Art Association, Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflower Soup
Professional Chef’s Choice Winner: Erin Gaul’s Seafood Lover’s Dream

Junior Chefs (2016)

14-17
- 1st place: Austin Rupert, New England Clam Chowder
- 2nd place: Joe and Tyler (Lebanon Country Career & Technology Center), Tuscan Tomato Soup with Sausage
- 3rd place: Emily, Jade, and Stazia (Lebanon County Career & Technology Center), Caramelized Butternut Squash Soup
13 and under
- 1st place: Leah Roberts, Pozole
- 2nd place: Griffin Decker, Caribbean Potcake Soup
- 3rd place: Cali Overly, Cali’s Corn Chowder

View Past Cook-Off Photos