Ladles clashed, steam rose and flavors battled for supremacy at this year’s Souper Bowl, a competition and fundraiser hosted by the Roadrunner Food Bank on Saturday, Feb. 1. With rich broths, bold spices and secret recipes on the line, the competition was fierce — but only one soup reigned supreme.
The Old Town Catering Company, a local Albuquerque favorite, dominated the Bowl, winning first place for People’s Choice Soup, first place for Critics’ Choice Soup and third place for People’s Choice Vegetarian Soup. The team’s chef and owner, Mike Tafoya, credited the victory to serving soups that are distinctly New Mexican.
“We brought two soups. The first one was roasted corn and apple bisque. And we top that with a little bit of sourdough bread crumbs and some fresh apple,” Tafoya said. “We also entered the green chile chicken, a cheesy green chile chicken tortilla soup.”
The Old Town Catering Company’s roasted corn and apple bisque soup won first place for People’s Choice and third for People’s Choice Vegetarian Soup. The company’s green chile chicken tortilla soup won first place for Critics’ Choice.
Tafoya stepped foot in the court as a Souper Bowl veteran, having won Best Vegetarian Soup and Best Booth last year, he said.
“I’ve done it the last four years,” Tafoya said. “When my kids were born, I kind of took a little break, and then I did it probably for like eight years before that, so for quite a while. I love it.”
Other honorable mentions were Shamrock Foods’ wild mushroom bisque with crispy duck confit, as well as El Patron’s red chile pork posole and avgolemono.
And it wasn’t just about soup — sweet and mouthwatering desserts also had their own MVP. Rio Rancho local and Le Cordon Bleu graduate Christiana Romero of Baked by Christiana stole the show with her chocolate chip cookie bites, brown butter pecan brittle and mini danishes, earning the People’s Choice Dessert first place title.
Beyond the competition, the real victory belonged to the local community. Every ticket sale, sponsorship and silent auction item sold helped the Roadrunner Food Bank’s mission: to end hunger in New Mexico, according to Roadrunner Food Bank Events and Communications Coordinator Diana Sanchez.
“It's not a lot of money, but every dollar counts, especially when you're in the business of feeding our hungry neighbors,” Sanchez said.
The Old Town Catering Company is likely to return to next year's Souper Bowl, Tafoya said. With new challengers hungry for the title and past champions eager for redemption, next year’s competition is sure to be a soup-er heated battle of flavor.
Nate Bernard is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @natebernard14
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Nate Bernard is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @natebernard14
