A server from Toast Cafe hands off a sample of the Chicken Florentine. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Hundreds of diners young and old tested out the soups at the ninth annual Souper Bowl, a fundraiser for the Davidson Housing Coalition at Davidson College on Saturday. After the last ballot was cast, The Brickhouse Tavern‘s Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice came out on top, as the day’s best overall soup. Read the full story

Missy Kuykendall prepares to taste the soups at a previous Souper Bowl. This year’s event is Feb. 2. (Bill Giduz photo)

The most popular culinary cook-off in Lake Norman — the Davidson Housing Coalition’s “Souper Bowl” — will be held Saturday, Feb. 2, at Davidson College. Eight area restaurants will be serving their tastiest soups from 11am to 2pm in the Lilly Family Gallery of the college’s Chambers Building in the heart of campus.

This year’s competing restaurants are: Brickhouse Tavern, Jeffrey’s Restaurant, Alton’s Kitchen & Cocktails, Armin’s Catering, Campania Café & Trattoria, Toast Café, Restaurant X, and Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse. Read the full story

Best overall soup went to Jeffrey's of Lake Norman, for a cream of parsnip. Accepting the honor from Marcia Webster (left) and Margaret Martens (right) of Davidson Housing Coalition were Kerri Williams and young Nicholas Riddle, son of sou-chef Joshua Baxley. (Bill Giduz photo)

Jeffrey’s of Lake Norman restaurant in Mooresville walked away with the big prize Saturday at the eighth annual Souper Bowl, a soup cook-off among local chefs that raises money for the Davidson Housing Coalition‘s HAMMERS emergency home repair program. The event drew more than 400 diners to Davidson College’s Lilly Family Gallery for food, music and a silent auction.

Everyone who sampled the soup helped pick winners, in  categories from most creative to best vegetarian. Read the full story

An employee of The Egg at Davidson served during last year's Davidson Housing Coalition Souper Bowl fund-raiser. (Bill Jin photo)

The Souper Bowl, a soup cook-off among local chefs that raises money for affordable housing – has become a tradition on Super Bowl weekend in Davidson. This year’s competition is Saturday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Davidson College’s Chambers building, Lilly Family Gallery. The lunch includes food, live music and a silent art auction.

The annual event is a benefit for Davidson Housing Coalition, which helps create and preserve affordable housing and prepare people for financial stability and home ownership. Read the full story

More than 100 eateries, including a long list of Lake Norman area favorites, will join the Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week beginning next Friday, Jan. 20. Alton’s Kitchen in Cornelius is getting a jump on the festivities, offering its special menu in a “preview” a week ahead of the festival. Also, the Davidson Housing Coalition has announced the lineup of restaurants that will vie for the best local soups in its 2012 Souper Bowl fundraiser Feb. 4. Read the full story

Seven restaurants in the Lake Norman area will donate portion of their sales to the United Way on Thursday, Aug. 11, and Ingersoll Rand is pledging to match the proceeds. Meanwhile, Davidson Chocolate Co. is in the midst of another round of “nonprofit days,” donating a portion of its sales on Wednesdays to selected local nonprofits. And Red Mango, a South Korea-based chain of frozen yogurt stores, plans a location at Davidson Commons. Read the full story

Andres Arboleda is Flatiron's new chef. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse has a new chef, the Colombia-born, Florida-raised Andres Arboleda.

Meanwhile, who has the best soup in town? Diners at last weekend’s 7th annual Souper Bowl fund-raiser picked winners. Also below, a reminder: Davidson Farmer’s Market holds another winter tailgate market on Saturday next to town hall. We also have notes about a new cupcake business in Cornelius – Just Baked Cupcakes -and a new offering at Ben & Jerry’s. Hint: It’s not ice cream. Read the full story

A scene from the 2010 Souper Bowl, where local eateries offer up their best soups. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

The 7th annual “Souper Bowl” in Davidson Saturday, Feb. 5, will include a new taste — local foods. Davidson Housing Coalition, the event sponsor, is partnering with the Davidson Farmer’s Market to introduce a new “Best Farm to Spoon” category on the menu this year. Soups competing in that category must include local ingredients.

The tasting begins Saturday, Feb. 5, at 11 a.m. in the Lilly Family Gallery of Davidson College’s Chambers Building, and continues until 2 p.m. Pre-event tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students 12 and over, and $5 for children under 12. Prices will increase at the door. To purchase tickets, please call 704-892-4486 or email Emily Lytle at Emily@davidsonhousing.org. Read the full story

The Davidson Housing Coalition Souper Bowl's award-winning carrot ginger soup from Restaurant X. (Nikki Moore/DavidsonNews.net photos)

By NIKKI SAWYER MOORE
DavidsonNews.net

Winner of “Best Overall Soup” at Davidson Housing Coalition’s 2010 Souper Bowl Competition was the carrot ginger soup by Chris Phillips,co-owner and chef at by Restaurant X on South Main Street in Davidson.

Maybe I don’t give carrots enough credit, but I had a hard time believing a soup made from the lowly carrot had taken top honors against a field of worthy soups made by local restaurants. Frankly, I just didn’t think that the orange root vegetable had the star quality to pull it off.

So, it was with great doubt that I stopped by Restaurant X to try the soup for myself. Upon my arrival, co-owner and manager Christina Phillips served me a cup of the soup and left me alone with it. I’m glad she did. I needed some time with this soup; time to wrap my head around the fact that something this delicious could be made with carrots.

The soup, a thick puree, is bright orange with an enticing aroma. A spoonful, with its bits of fresh ginger and hints of curry, tastes exotic, but manages to still be surprisingly comforting. It’s something you can imagine eating at home on a rainy day.

Read the full story