Cambria chefs dominate field in Morro Bay soup competition

Cambria and San Simeon businesses will dominate Soupabration! on Sunday, Nov. 5 in Morro Bay. Seven of the 14 chefs who aim to win the honor or crafting the best soup in San Luis Obispo County, represent local restaurants.

Local chefs will compete representing Black Cat Bistro, Centrally Grown, Linn’s of Cambria, Manta Rey Restaurant, 60 Degrees Steakhouse and Pub, Soto’s True Earth Market and The Cavalier Restaurant. Black Cat Bistro, Linn’s and Manta Rey won the Best Soup Award during the previous six Soupabration! events.

Other Cambrian businesses will also be featured at this year’s event. Moonstone Cellars is one of the six wine samplers, with Montello Tasting Room offering sample tastings of artisan olive oils and vinegars.

The Cambrian’s Culinary Corner columnist, Consuelo Macedo, and KTEA radio’s Claudia Hernandez-Franco will also serve as two of the five celebrity judges. The two Cambria-based judges will help pick the best soups during a blind tasting, along with celebrity chefs Dakota Weiss and Mirko Paderno, both of Los Angeles; and Jaime Lewis, managing editor of the magazine Edible San Luis.

Soupabration! will also include chefs from throughout SLO County, including Blue Sky Bistro, Flavor Factory, Shine Cafe, SLO Natural Foods, Thai Bounty, Thomas Hill Organics and Vegetable Butcher.

Other wineries pouring tastings include Adelaida Winery & Vineyards, Guyomar Wine Cellars, Michael Rose Cellars, Sculpterra Winery and SummerWood.

Soupabration! is a fundraiser for Pacific Wildlife Care, which is celebrating 30 years of wildlife rescue in San Luis Obispo County. As part of that celebration, the Soupabration! committee added a second event, “Morro Bay Wild,” for Saturday, Nov. 4, offering tours of PWC’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic in Morro Bay. Participants will observe how injured or oiled animals are cared for, with a look at the seabird room, surgery room, baby bird nursery, aviaries, aquatic habitat and pelagic pools. The tour ends with a light refreshment: last year’s two winning soups, French bread and local wines. An animal ambassador and human handler will be present during the refreshment time.

Ticket and event information along with ticket purchasing is available at soupabration.org. For additional queries about the two events, email soupabration@live.com or call (805)927-3357.

This story was originally published October 25, 2017 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Cambria chefs dominate field in Morro Bay soup competition."