Marie Alcorn tastes one of the entries in the soup contest.
After a hellish 10 days of fighting rain, hail, mud and snow on the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” build site in West Knoxville, Alan and I were ready for a little down time when last Friday rolled around.
We have come to really admire a little project called CAC Beardsley Community Farm. Beardsley Community Farm is an urban demonstration site that has promoted food security and sustainable urban agriculture since 1998. The half-acre main site sits on the former grounds of Beardsley Junior High School. In 1996, the City of Knoxville provided funds to convert the abandoned school grounds into a garden and build a greenhouse. The same year, the Community Action Committee (CAC) received a grant to complete the conversion.
Today, Beardsley Farm has raspberry and blackberry brambles; muscadine grapes and blueberries; a young orchard of fruit and nut trees; and a community garden, all situated on six and a half acres of a public park—in addition to the half-acre demonstration site. The Farm is maintained by a farm manager, a small team of AmeriCorps members, and numerous volunteers from the Knoxville community.
Their fundraisers always are so much fun. They are centered, appropriately, around food. And in the spirit of accessibility, the price tag for admission always is modest.
The event we attended Friday was called Snow Day. Held in the Old City at Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria, for a price of $10, folks could taste six soups from six participating restaurants and vote on the best; hear a number of local bands; and witness a beard contest, of all things.
Last year the downtown eatery Coolato Gelato won the soup contest. And, guess what. They won again this year, too. Here are some scenes from 2012’s Snow Day. We highly recommend you get it on your calendar for 2013.
Cherryl Meuret, left, and Tammie Conrad dish out Coolato Gelato's winning entry in the soup contest -- for the second year in a row! Congrats, folks! We love your soup.
Coolato Gelato's winning entry: chunky potato dill soup. It was fabulous!
Here is the Tuscan bread soup served by Harry's on Gay Street. I thought it was wonderful, too.
Giving out the bowls at the check-in station was Grace Loy.
In no time at all, a good crowd had gathered.
Two of them were Jen Tucker and Keith Anders. "I think they are going to win again," Jen said after tasting Coolato Gelato's potato soup. How right she was!
Kukuly and the Gypsy Fuego was the first of a half dozen bands to perform. Alan and I love their sound.
Charlotte Tolley, one of the owners of Just Ripe, dishes out their red curry lentil soup.
Here is the honey rutabaga soup from Plaid Apron. I liked this one because I really like turnips. It was a bit controversial, though.
Colleen Cruze enthusiastically throws herself into the testing.
The crowd continued to grow.
Gavin Baker of Moxley Carmichael and his friend Naomi Peden applied themselves to making a good decision on the best soup.
Hawa Ware Johnson of Palavah Hut dishes out peanut soup.
Stephen Herzog of the Bistro on Gay Street serves pumpkin soup. I swear, it tasted just like a bowl of pumpkin pie!
Bob Alcorn is making a comparison.
My sweet husband, Alan Carmichael, loved all the soups. He was very hungry. (He didn't get much to eat during the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" period)
You may have seen my buddy Liz Lyons a few posts ago with a crutch under her arm. She has progressed now to just using an umbrella as a sort of cane!
I assume these ladies were getting ready for the beard contest. Brooke Gresham, left, is with Rachel Ramaswamy. Unfortunately, we were too tired to stay for the beard contest. Sorry.
Here are the ballots. You just gotta come next year!
The potato dill was awesome. I have to admit that Scott Bird told me he’d had it at Coolato earlier that week and to try it at Snow Day. Great recommendation!
Those are some yummy looking soups. I have attended Snow Day a couple of times–and it’s a great event. I don’t know how I missed it this year. I must have still been recovering from the Extreme “Takeover.” Maybe Liz will lend me her umbrella/can when she’s finished with it. We are quite the hobbling mother-daughter duo right now.
Gavin: Alan and I both voted for it, too! Gay, you are right. That umbrella would be a big improvement over the big boot you are wearing. Hang in.
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