1st Annual Battle of the Bowls
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Overview
Vendors apply here: https://forms.gle/ST7ds5xKNsiP2P9g6
Contestants apply here: https://forms.gle/QfCex9mrYH4GZuKd9
Sponsorship Opportunities: https://bubblebuddies.us/battle-of-the-bowls-2026
🍲 BATTLE OF THE BOWLS
1st Annual Community Cook-Off & Fundraiser
Bubble Buddies is bringing something new to Thurston County this fall!
Join us for the 1st Annual Battle of the Bowls, a community cook-off bringing together local home cooks, local businesses, families, and our community for an afternoon of incredible food, friendly competition, and a great cause.
Saturday, November 7, 2026
12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
@ Vert Chiropractic
4444 Lacey Boulevard, Lacey, WA 98503
24 HOME COOKS. 4 CATEGORIES.
We're looking for 24 Thurston County home cooks ready to put their best bowl to the test!
There will be 6 contestants in each category:
Chili
Chowder
Stew
Soup & Bisque
This competition is for home cooks who reside in Thurston County. Professional and renowned chefs are encouraged to join us on the other side of the table as potential judges!
THE BATTLE
We are seeking 3 fair and impartial judges to taste and score all 24 competing dishes.
We're especially interested in local chefs, restaurant professionals, culinary professionals, and experienced local foodies who would love to help us crown Thurston County's very first Battle of the Bowls Grand Champion.
And judges, come hungry. You've got 24 bowls to try!
Our competition will award:
🥇 1st Place: Battle of the Bowls Grand Champion, $225 CASH PRIZE & Grand Champion Trophy
🥈 2nd Place, $150 CASH PRIZE & Trophy
🥉 3rd Place, $100 CASH PRIZE & Trophy
But our judges won't have the only say!
🗳️ PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Everyone attending Battle of the Bowls will have an opportunity to taste the competing entries and vote for the bowl they think deserves to come out on top.
The contestant receiving the most People's Choice votes will receive:
People's Choice Honorable Mention & Trophy
$50 CASH PRIZE
The People's Choice vote will also play a role in the overall competition results.
The final decision for our Battle of the Bowls Grand Champion will be determined by a combination of the official judges' scoring and the community's People's Choice results.
So the question is... Will the judges and Thurston County agree on the best bowl in the house?
👩🍳 THINK YOUR RECIPE HAS WHAT IT TAKES?!
Contestants must bring a minimum of 5 gallons of their registered dish.
Each contestant will need:
• 8-quart or larger crockpot(s) with enough capacity for their entry
• Ladles for serving
• Their own clean, food-safe cooler with sufficient ice for proper cold holding
• Their dish fully prepared, properly cooled, and cold-held before arrival
Contestants must arrive by 10:00 AM for check-in, setup, reheating, temperature checks, and preparation for service.
Your cooler must remain with you throughout the event. Temperature checks will be conducted before service and periodically throughout the event to ensure proper cold holding and hot holding.
Complete contestant sanitation, food-handling, cooling, cold-holding, hot-holding, and event-day requirements will be provided during registration.
Ingredient, recipe, and allergen information must be submitted by October 20, 2026.
Contestant registration information and the official application are coming soon!
COME TASTE THURSTON COUNTY!
Not competing? That's okay. We need people willing to do the hard work of eating. 😉
Battle of the Bowls will have a:
$10 suggested donation with advance registration (First 50 people!)
$15 suggested donation at the event
The competing dishes themselves are not being sold.
Attendees will receive 5 oz tasting cups to sample the competing chilis, chowders, stews, soups, and bisques throughout the event.
Try the bowls. Find your favorite. Then cast your vote for People's Choice and help influence who walks away as the first Battle of the Bowls Grand Champion!
🛍️ LOCAL VENDORS WANTED!
We want Battle of the Bowls to showcase the incredible small businesses that make our community special.
We're especially looking for:
🥖 Bakeries, breads, rolls & cornbread
🧁 Desserts & sweets
☕ Coffee
🍎 Cider, tea & non-alcoholic beverages
🍴 Side dishes
🫙 Specialty food products
Makers, artists, crafters, retailers, service businesses, community organizations, and other local vendors are welcome too!
Vendor Spaces:
6 ft space: $50
8 ft space: $65
Food vendors: $100
Vendor fee assistance will be available for qualifying businesses that have been operating for less than 3 years.
Participating businesses must maintain all applicable licensing, insurance, permits, and approvals required for their business and what they sell or provide.
Interested in vending? Send Bubble Buddies a private message with your business name, what you offer, how long you've been in business, and the vendor space you're interested in.
Know a local business that needs to be here? Have them email us at [email protected].
🩵 MORE THAN A BOWL
Battle of the Bowls isn't just about finding the best chili, chowder, stew, soup, or bisque in Thurston County. We're doing this for something much bigger.
Proceeds from Battle of the Bowls will support the Bubble Buddies Community Voucher Program, helping provide laundry service assistance to individuals and families in our community experiencing financial hardship, housing instability or displacement, grief and unexpected loss, vulnerable life circumstances, emergencies, major life transitions, and other situations where access to clean laundry can provide meaningful relief to non profits such as, but not limited to Thurston County Resource HUB.
As we head into the colder months and holiday season, we want to help as many people as possible.
Sometimes warmth looks like a hot bowl of soup, but it also looks like clean clothes, fresh bedding, and knowing your community cares. This November, we're hoping to provide a little bit of both!
Whether you compete, judge, vend, attend, volunteer, donate, or simply help us spread the word, you're helping us take a load off someone else's shoulders.
🍲 24 Home Cooks.
🥣 24 Bowls.
👨⚖️ 3 Judges.
🏆 1 Grand Champion.
🩵 1 Great Cause.
Good food. Good people. A good cause.
Bring your people. Bring your appetite. We'll bring the bowls. 🍲🩵
Not Allowed
Battle of the Bowls is a community event intended to be welcoming, respectful, and enjoyable for everyone. We have zero tolerance for hate speech, discrimination, harassment, or threatening behavior of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to: • Hate speech or hateful comments • Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, religiously discriminatory, or otherwise discriminatory remarks or behavior • Slurs, derogatory language, or personal attacks directed at another person or group • Bullying, intimidation, or harassment • Threats of violence or aggressive behavior • Unwanted sexual comments, advances, or harassment • Deliberately provoking, targeting, or humiliating another attendee, contestant, vendor, volunteer, judge, or staff member • Fighting or intentionally creating a hostile or unsafe environment • Disruptive behavior that interferes with another person's ability to enjoy or participate in the event We don't expect everyone attending Battle of the Bowls to think, believe, live, or see the world the same way. We do expect everyone to treat one another with basic respect. Anyone engaging in discriminatory, hateful, threatening, harassing, or significantly disruptive behavior may be asked to leave the event. If you experience or witness behavior that violates this policy, please notify security or an event representative. Come for the bowls. Compete over the soup. Be kind to the humans. 🍲🩵
Additional Info
For more information, e-mail us at [email protected].
Vendors apply here: https://forms.gle/ST7ds5xKNsiP2P9g6
Contestants apply here: https://forms.gle/QfCex9mrYH4GZuKd9
Sponsorship Opportunities: https://bubblebuddies.us/battle-of-the-bowls-2026
🍲 BATTLE OF THE BOWLS
1st Annual Community Cook-Off & Fundraiser
Bubble Buddies is bringing something new to Thurston County this fall!
Join us for the 1st Annual Battle of the Bowls, a community cook-off bringing together local home cooks, local businesses, families, and our community for an afternoon of incredible food, friendly competition, and a great cause.
Saturday, November 7, 2026
12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
@ Vert Chiropractic
4444 Lacey Boulevard, Lacey, WA 98503
24 HOME COOKS. 4 CATEGORIES.
We're looking for 24 Thurston County home cooks ready to put their best bowl to the test!
There will be 6 contestants in each category:
Chili
Chowder
Stew
Soup & Bisque
This competition is for home cooks who reside in Thurston County. Professional and renowned chefs are encouraged to join us on the other side of the table as potential judges!
THE BATTLE
We are seeking 3 fair and impartial judges to taste and score all 24 competing dishes.
We're especially interested in local chefs, restaurant professionals, culinary professionals, and experienced local foodies who would love to help us crown Thurston County's very first Battle of the Bowls Grand Champion.
And judges, come hungry. You've got 24 bowls to try!
Our competition will award:
🥇 1st Place: Battle of the Bowls Grand Champion, $225 CASH PRIZE & Grand Champion Trophy
🥈 2nd Place, $150 CASH PRIZE & Trophy
🥉 3rd Place, $100 CASH PRIZE & Trophy
But our judges won't have the only say!
🗳️ PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Everyone attending Battle of the Bowls will have an opportunity to taste the competing entries and vote for the bowl they think deserves to come out on top.
The contestant receiving the most People's Choice votes will receive:
People's Choice Honorable Mention & Trophy
$50 CASH PRIZE
The People's Choice vote will also play a role in the overall competition results.
The final decision for our Battle of the Bowls Grand Champion will be determined by a combination of the official judges' scoring and the community's People's Choice results.
So the question is... Will the judges and Thurston County agree on the best bowl in the house?
👩🍳 THINK YOUR RECIPE HAS WHAT IT TAKES?!
Contestants must bring a minimum of 5 gallons of their registered dish.
Each contestant will need:
• 8-quart or larger crockpot(s) with enough capacity for their entry
• Ladles for serving
• Their own clean, food-safe cooler with sufficient ice for proper cold holding
• Their dish fully prepared, properly cooled, and cold-held before arrival
Contestants must arrive by 10:00 AM for check-in, setup, reheating, temperature checks, and preparation for service.
Your cooler must remain with you throughout the event. Temperature checks will be conducted before service and periodically throughout the event to ensure proper cold holding and hot holding.
Complete contestant sanitation, food-handling, cooling, cold-holding, hot-holding, and event-day requirements will be provided during registration.
Ingredient, recipe, and allergen information must be submitted by October 20, 2026.
Contestant registration information and the official application are coming soon!
COME TASTE THURSTON COUNTY!
Not competing? That's okay. We need people willing to do the hard work of eating. 😉
Battle of the Bowls will have a:
$10 suggested donation with advance registration (First 50 people!)
$15 suggested donation at the event
The competing dishes themselves are not being sold.
Attendees will receive 5 oz tasting cups to sample the competing chilis, chowders, stews, soups, and bisques throughout the event.
Try the bowls. Find your favorite. Then cast your vote for People's Choice and help influence who walks away as the first Battle of the Bowls Grand Champion!
🛍️ LOCAL VENDORS WANTED!
We want Battle of the Bowls to showcase the incredible small businesses that make our community special.
We're especially looking for:
🥖 Bakeries, breads, rolls & cornbread
🧁 Desserts & sweets
☕ Coffee
🍎 Cider, tea & non-alcoholic beverages
🍴 Side dishes
🫙 Specialty food products
Makers, artists, crafters, retailers, service businesses, community organizations, and other local vendors are welcome too!
Vendor Spaces:
6 ft space: $50
8 ft space: $65
Food vendors: $100
Vendor fee assistance will be available for qualifying businesses that have been operating for less than 3 years.
Participating businesses must maintain all applicable licensing, insurance, permits, and approvals required for their business and what they sell or provide.
Interested in vending? Send Bubble Buddies a private message with your business name, what you offer, how long you've been in business, and the vendor space you're interested in.
Know a local business that needs to be here? Have them email us at [email protected].
🩵 MORE THAN A BOWL
Battle of the Bowls isn't just about finding the best chili, chowder, stew, soup, or bisque in Thurston County. We're doing this for something much bigger.
Proceeds from Battle of the Bowls will support the Bubble Buddies Community Voucher Program, helping provide laundry service assistance to individuals and families in our community experiencing financial hardship, housing instability or displacement, grief and unexpected loss, vulnerable life circumstances, emergencies, major life transitions, and other situations where access to clean laundry can provide meaningful relief to non profits such as, but not limited to Thurston County Resource HUB.
As we head into the colder months and holiday season, we want to help as many people as possible.
Sometimes warmth looks like a hot bowl of soup, but it also looks like clean clothes, fresh bedding, and knowing your community cares. This November, we're hoping to provide a little bit of both!
Whether you compete, judge, vend, attend, volunteer, donate, or simply help us spread the word, you're helping us take a load off someone else's shoulders.
🍲 24 Home Cooks.
🥣 24 Bowls.
👨⚖️ 3 Judges.
🏆 1 Grand Champion.
🩵 1 Great Cause.
Good food. Good people. A good cause.
Bring your people. Bring your appetite. We'll bring the bowls. 🍲🩵
Not Allowed
Battle of the Bowls is a community event intended to be welcoming, respectful, and enjoyable for everyone. We have zero tolerance for hate speech, discrimination, harassment, or threatening behavior of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to: • Hate speech or hateful comments • Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, religiously discriminatory, or otherwise discriminatory remarks or behavior • Slurs, derogatory language, or personal attacks directed at another person or group • Bullying, intimidation, or harassment • Threats of violence or aggressive behavior • Unwanted sexual comments, advances, or harassment • Deliberately provoking, targeting, or humiliating another attendee, contestant, vendor, volunteer, judge, or staff member • Fighting or intentionally creating a hostile or unsafe environment • Disruptive behavior that interferes with another person's ability to enjoy or participate in the event We don't expect everyone attending Battle of the Bowls to think, believe, live, or see the world the same way. We do expect everyone to treat one another with basic respect. Anyone engaging in discriminatory, hateful, threatening, harassing, or significantly disruptive behavior may be asked to leave the event. If you experience or witness behavior that violates this policy, please notify security or an event representative. Come for the bowls. Compete over the soup. Be kind to the humans. 🍲🩵
Additional Info
For more information, e-mail us at [email protected].
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Where is it happening?
Vert Chiropractic, 4444 Lacey BLVD Ste E,Lacey,WA,United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherBubble Buddies
