Battle of the Soups wraps up at Ballard Farmers Market
Battle of the Soups finale saw winners from the past three events compete to see who cooked the best soup. Money raised also helped local farmers recover from disasters.
After months of competition, the “Battle of the Soups” at the Ballard Farmers Market wrapped up March 29.
Kelly Kube, operations manager at the Seattle Farmers Market Association, won the overall battle with a Coconut Curry that used garlic from Alvarez Farms, mushrooms from Sno-Valley Mushrooms, and cilantro from Shong Chao Farm.
Kube’s Coconut Curry won by two votes, said Joy Moody, executive director for FarMore WA, which organized the Battle of the Soups. Contestants were within three-to-four votes of each other.
Sunday’s Battle raised $1,100 that will help farmers associated with the market who are impacted by disasters.
The first Battle of the Soups took place in December when farmers market employees competed. January’s contest saw market vendors compete, and February’s saw chefs associated with the market compete.
Moody said a similar battle could take place during berry season, only with pies.
FARMore WA is a nonprofit that also has a sweat equity program that supports farms with everything from land preparation to harvesting, according to its website. A gleaning program collects excess food from farmers markets and distributes to people in need.
The Ballard Farmers Market is year-round Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on a historic cobblestone part of Ballard Avenue Northwest Between Vernon Place and 22nd Avenue in Seattle.