Cornerstone’s SoupFest fun for a great cause
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, during which the event was held virtually, the Cornerstone Foundation’s annual SoupFest returned in-person this year.
On Nov. 17, soups from local restaurants squared off for the friendly competition, while attendees were able to compete via silent auction for dozens of items. Students from Rockville High School volunteered as servers for the evening.
Jay Merluzzo, owner of Mitchell’s Restaurant, won both the People’s Choice Award and the Professionals’ Choice Award, voted on by other local chefs, for the delicious bacon cheeseburger soup.
Merluzzo said the soup includes a cream base, with hamburger, bacon, cheddar jack cheese, and lots of spices.
“I think it’s the simplicity of it. When it comes to a contest like this, you can’t go wrong with bacon cheeseburger. People love it,” Merluzzo said. “We put a lot of love into it.”
He couldn’t give out the exact recipe, because his chef, Carlos Escobar, was the actual soup creator.
“He’s the best soup-maker around,” Merluzzo said. “He probably has 30 different soups that he makes.”
Ben Boyer, of Country Butcher, presented a corn chowder.
“It’s got fresh corn, a little bit of potato, celery, and some other herbs and spices,” he said. “On top, it’s got a homemade buttermilk biscuit.”
Lindsey Penev, the executive sous chef J. Rego’s Gathering Place, said her Country French Lentil Soup is a “very herb-y, broth-based soup, with green French lentils, and nice hearty carrots.”
“A lot of love was put into this dish,” said. “It’s very wholesome. It takes me back to my childhood.”
Cornerstone Executive Director Sharon Redfern said SoupFest is one of the foundation’s biggest fundraisers of the year, and that donations will go to help people in need.
“It’s been a rough year, 2022, for a lot of people,” Redfern said. “The donations you give to us, basically means that a person who doesn’t have food will be fed, a person who doesn’t have a home will have a place to stay, or a person who doesn’t have clothing to get a new job can do things like that.”
Redfern said that if people have trouble paying rent or their electric bill, they can come to Cornerstone for meals.
“Come eat in our kitchen. Come get food at our food bank. Pay your electric bill. Pay your rent. Don’t get evicted,” she said. “Don’t lose your electricity. We want to help you.”
Redfern said donors have been very generous this year, and that Cornerstone also takes part in the AmazonSmile program, which lists the needs of Cornerstone’s shelter residents, so that people can donate specific requested items.
Cornerstone Deputy Director Bryan Flint presented a video about what the foundation does, and thanked its many volunteers.
“Our mission is food, clothing, and shelter,” Flint said. “Food, we never run out of. Clothing, there’s no one walking around naked, so we’re doing pretty good on that. The shelter is what’s really hurting these days.”
Cornerstone has recently acquired property to increase its shelter from 15 beds to 40, but there are at least 250 people in the area who are on waiting lists, and likely many more who need shelter who are not.
“It’s a terrible situation. All the time we are turning people away, and there’s nothing we can do,” Flint said.
The Cornerstone Foundation is gearing up for its annual Scrooge Scramble 5k run, which takes place on Christmas morning.
Approximately 200-plus runners take time out from their holiday celebrations to participate in the Scrooge Scramble to raise funds for Cornerstone. This 5k race has been taking place for more than 25 years.
For more information, visit www.cornerstone-cares.org.
