Ayhan's Named SOUPer Bowl Champ

On the day before the Super Bowl, there was a competition of epic proportions taking place right in our own backyard. The Port Washington Chamber of Commerce hosted its third annual SOUPer Bowl at the United Methodist Church, where close to 20 local restaurants competed to win the title of "SOUPer Bowl Champ."

Participants sampled two-ounce portions of every soup and then cast a vote for their favorite. A panel of judges did the same and a "People's Choice Award" and a "Judges' Choice Award" were then presented to the restaurant with the best soup in Port Washington for 2010.

This year's winner in both the Judges' Choice and People's Choice awards was Ayhan's Mediterranean Marketplace for its Tex Mex Turkey Chili.

After hearing the results, one attendee said, "I tried it. It was excellent."

This is the second consecutive year that Ayhan's was named a winner in the competition. Hal Linden, general manager of Ayhan's Mediterranean Marketplace and chairman of the SOUPer Bowl committee, said this recognition was very rewarding.

"Last year, our Tex Mex Beef Chili came in first in the Judges' Choice and that was very gratifying," Linden said. "But to top it all off, after putting in many hours of work with meetings of the Chamber of Commerce committee and putting in a full day of work at the soup contest, it was even more gratifying knowing that the People's Choice and the Judges' Choice were both similar this year. It was more than money could buy, I can assure you of that."