NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — St. Luke’s Hospital’s clam chowder took first prize for the second year in a row at the New Bedford Seaport Chowder Festival at Custom House Square on September 16. St. Luke’s also earned third place in the table presentation category.

The hospital’s Food & Nutrition Department joined 21 of the city’s best chefs in the battle for the Best Chowder title. Chefs served up 50 gallons of the winning chowder to nearly 7,000 people, more than twice as many as last year.

Gregory J. De Liberis, Site Manager for the Food & Nutrition Department at St. Luke’s, said he believed St. Luke’s would repeat as champions “because the St. Luke’s chowder is the most authentic New England clam chowder I have ever tasted.”

 “We don’t skimp on the ingredients,” De Liberis said. “The demand for our chowder has increased since we won last year. Every Friday we offer quarts for employees and people from the community to take home at nearly half the cost of most restaurants.”

St. Luke’s has had the same chowder recipe for as long as the hospital’s Executive Chef, Ray Lemery, has worked there — more than 38 years. A full-service kitchen, the hospital serves three meals a day to more than 300 patients and the cafeteria serves some 1,500 customers every day.

“The hospital’s kitchen spends a great deal of time planning and preparing a variety of soups and entrees every day,” De Liberis said. “We offer hot entrees, fresh salads and sandwiches with an emphasis on healthy choices and home cooking.”

Danny DaSilva, St. Luke’s Second Cook, has worked at the hospital for more than 19 years and prepares the chowder every Friday and for all the competitions.

De Liberis plans to enter the kale soup next year in addition to the clam chowder. “St. Luke’s kitchen staff approached me after this year’s competition and said that they wanted to improve upon our success over the last two years and would like to enter our kale soup in addition to the chowder in next year’s Festival,” De Liberis said.

The 2007 New Bedford Seaport Chowder Festival winners and prizes for first place included the following:

* Clam chowder, $500 — first place, St. Luke's Hospital; second place, Black Bass Grille; third place, Pasta House.
* Table presentation, $250 — first place, Cape Quality Seafood; second place, Healthy Grille Restaurant; third place, St. Luke's Hospital.
* Kale soup, $250 — first place, St. Michael's Restaurant; second place, Antonio's; third place, Cape Quality Seafood.
* Seafood chowder, $250 — first place, Freestone's City Grill; second place, Me & Ed's; third place, M&C Cafe Restaurant/Catering.

Southcoast Health System, a not-for-profit charitable organization, is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes Southcoast Hospitals Group, formed in 1996 from the merger of Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.


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PHOTO CAPTION
The St. Luke's team shows off their winning trophy at the second annual New Bedford Seaport Chowder Festival. From left are Daniel DaSilva, Second Cook and chowder preparer, Gregory J. De Liberis, Site Manager for Food & Nutrition Services St. Luke's, and Peter Costa, First Cook.

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Southcoast Health System

Southcoast Health System, a not-for-profit charitable organization, is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of advanced health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes Southcoast Hospitals Group, formed in 1996 from the merger of Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

Southcoast has more than 40 ancillary facilities, including the Southcoast Health Van, home health care, hospice and infusion services, numerous outpatient medical services, an assisted living facility and a wellness center. For more information visit www.southcoast.org.

Southcoast is one of three community hospitals approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to perform open heart surgery and primary angioplasty beginning in Spring 2002.

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