Watsonville restaurant The Rustic Table marched away with a first-place award for their Boston clam chowder over the weekend at the annual Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
“In every which way, we came out of this feeling accomplished, joyful and excited,” said Kendra Maghoney, assistant program director for Monterey Bay Adult Women’s Teen Challenge.
The program’s restaurant, The Rustic Table, is located at 55 Brennan St.
“It’s all about team effort,” Maghoney said. “We were the dream team, all of us collectively. And we did it by the grace of God. We are not professionals; we are students. This is about determination and all the hard work and love these women put into it.”
More than two dozen restaurants joined in the competition that typically draws thousands of people to sample the Monterey Bay area’s top-shelf chowders made by pros and amateurs.
Maghoney said it was The Rustic Table’s third time to test their skills at the cookoff, where they claimed the award in the professional division.
She said the recipe came from many minds at the restaurant and was the result of team spirit and devotion to the recovery program offered at The Rustic Table.
The restaurant is in the building now called Grace Harbor, which houses a 13-month residential recovery program for women. The program also serves pregnant women and women with children, drug, alcohol and abuse issues. Under the same roof is the Treasure Shoppe, a second-hand store.
“We had a long line at our stand all day,” Maghoney said. “It was a lot of fun. There are a lot of miracles that come out of this building. It’s a great opportunity to rebuild.”
In the amateur division, The Silence of the Clams claimed first place and Little Neck Rex earned first for Manhattan clam chowder. In the professional division, first place Manhattan chowder went to Seascape Golf Club: Masters Edition.
The Rustic Table serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and has been open since 2021.
To see the results, click here.
