Dive into Greek, Italian, Jamaican and other variations of chicken soup at this fundraising event in Flushing this weekend.
The top restaurants, delis and diners from Queens and Long Island will bring their best to the second annual Chicken Soup Cook-Off at Temple Beth Sholom on Nov. 11, according to organizer Barry Packer.
The Flushing resident was inspired to bring the event to his hometown after viewing the 2014 documentary film, “The Deli Man,” which outlines the rise and the fall of the city’s Kosher delis.
“Everybody loves chicken soup,” Packer said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re going, or where you’re from … Queens is such a diverse ethnic community.”
The following local competitors will showcase their best chicken soup recipe for attendees at the event:
- Anthony’s Restaurant, Bayside
- Bayside Milk Farm, Bayside
- Bell Diner, Bayside
- Ben’s Kosher Deli, Bayside
- Bourbon Street, Bayside
- Buddy’s, Bayside
- Cascarino’s, Whitestone
- Chef Elvis, Freeport
- Fontana, Bayside
- Iavarone Brothers, New Hyde Park
- Kalamaki, Flushing
- Maria’s Mediterranean Seafood & Grill, Bayside
- Mythos, Flushing
- Panera Bread, Bayside
- Seasons, Flushing
- Seven Seas Diner, Great Neck
- Skyline Diner, New Hyde Park
- Terrace Diner, Bayside
A panel of celebrity guest judges will award “Best Chicken Soup,” while attendees will help determine who gets “People’s Choice Award.”
Last year’s inaugural event saw about 150 attendees, Packer said, and award-winning vendors included Bayside’s Terrace Diner and Ben’s Kosher Deli, as well as Chef Elvis, a Caribbean restaurant on Long Island.
For $18 a person, $6 per child aged five to 13, or a $50 family ticket deal, attendees can sample soup from all 18 vendors and enjoy bagels from The Bagel Shoppe, ice cream from Maggie Moos and other appetizers over the course of the three-hour event.
A number of raffles will also be up for grabs at the event, including restaurant gift certificates and vacation packages to the East End and Cape Cod, MA.
“All 43 vendors [part of the event] are donating their goods and services. And that speaks volumes,” Packer said.
All proceeds from the event will go back to the temple, making the event a “worthwhile cause,” Packer said.
“We’ve been around 67 years. We want it to be around for another 67,” he said.
Temple Beth Sholom is located at 171-39 Northern Blvd. and the event will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Those interested in attending are asked to call the temple at 718-463-4143 to RSVP.
“This is a very unique community,” Packer said. “And there’s always different ways you can go about bringing the community together.”
