COURTESY HAC
The winning teams from Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar and, in the amateur category, from Shepley Wood Products, celebrate.
WEST YARMOUTH – Cape Cod has crowned its first-ever stuffed quahog champion.
The inaugural Cape Cod Quahog Challenge attracted eight restaurants, a couple of amateur chefs, and more than 200 people to Trader Ed’s on Hyannis Harbor Sunday.
For $20 and good appetite – you could eat as many stuffed clams – or stuffies – as you could handle.
All the proceeds raised at the event benefited the Housing Assistance Corporation in Hyannis.
COURTESY HAC
Heather Meehan from Housing Assistance Corporation goes after a stuffed clam from the Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar.
And when the votes were counted, Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar in Eastham was the king of the clam, taking home first place. The winner was decided by those in attendance who voted for their favorite entry.
Susan Buckley, the chef at Arnold’s, said her stuffed quahogs have their own nickname – Susie’s Stuffies – thanks to their popularity among customers.
Joining her yesterday was Arnold’s owner Nathan Nickerson who was pleased with the result, particularly because the proceeds went to benefit HAC’s housing programs on Cape Cod and the Islands. Over $10,000 was raised from sponsorships, tickets and the sale of commemorative T-shirts.
COURTESY HACE
Santa Claus, Deanne Bussiere from Housing Assistance Corporation, and Blaze, the lobster, gather for a “shell-fie,” a photo with Doug the Clam.
“It is wonderful the programs that HAC has that help people get into housing,” Nickerson said. “They do a great job and it is a great organization… It’s really not about whether you win or lose, although it doesn’t hurt to win.”
Other restaurants that competed for the title included the Improper Bostonian, Spanky’s Clam Shack, Lost Dog Pub, O’Shea’s Olde Inn, The Pilot House, Red Face Jack’s and Trader Ed’s.
“It is classic Cape Cod,” said Lance Whalen, the head chef at The Improper Bostonian in Dennis, who made his “stuffie” with an unusual ingredient: sweet corn. “You don’t think about New England food without thinking about stuffed quahogs or lobsters.”
COURTESY OF HAC
The group from Spanky’s Clam Shack poses at the Cape Cod Quahog Challenge.
The sole competitor and winner in the amateur category were coworkers Ron Winner and Kenny Mansbach of Shepley Wood Products whose stuffed quahogs were another favorite with the crowd.
The Housing Assistance Corporation provides a range of housing-related services from developing affordable housing, to offering classes for first-time homebuyers, to foreclosure counseling.
It manages rental housing and a housing subsidy program; and runs a home weatherization and rehab program. It runs a full service nonprofit real estate office. It also runs programs to prevent families in financial crisis from losing their homes. HAC runs the NOAH homeless shelter and three other emergency shelters for homeless families.
Organizers expect the Quahog Challenge to become an annual event.
HAC event coordinator Deanna Bussiere was already looking forward to next year. “I can see this only getting better,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to celebrate a regional cuisine, highlight the great restaurants and chefs on Cape Cod and use it as a means to give back to the community.”
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