Souper Bowl XVI - Bethlehem 2026
Stamp it in your soup passport.
Next edition
The 2027 date isn't out yet
Usually held around early February.
Based on 2 past editions
Event Details
- Date & Time
- Sunday, February 01, 2026 · 1 p.m.
- Price
- ticketed; early bird, VIP and children's tickets; children 2 and under free
Programme
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1 p.m.
Musikfest Café
Soup competition among regional restaurants and caterers in the categories Cream-based, Meat-based, Most Unique, Seafood-based, Vegan, Judges' Favorite and People's Choice; VIP early entry one hour before.
Musikfest Cafe at SteelStacks
Soup tasting and competition with 15 competitors; judging by a panel of three judges on flavor and presentation; people's choice vote with miniature spoons; prize basket raffle; announcement of category winners at the end.
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VIP early entry, an hour before the event, for the first tastes of the soups
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1 p.m.
Souper Bowl XVI soup competition and tasting
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Awards in the categories Cream-based, Meat-based, Most Unique, Seafood-based, Vegan, Judges' Favorite and People's Choice
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Soup tasting: 15 competitors hand out tasting cups; classic hits from the 1950s and '60s played
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Judging by a panel of three judges with a rubric based on flavor and presentation
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People's choice vote: each patron drops miniature spoons into the receptacle boxes; boxes collected and weighed
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Raffle for a prize basket of goods from competing vendors
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Announcement of category winners
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About This Event
The 16th annual Souper Bowl (Souper Bowl XVI) of ArtsQuest, held on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at the Musikfest Cafe at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with 15 soup competitors from Bethlehem handing out tasting cups. Local vendors and caterers competed in cream-based, meat-based, seafood-based, vegan and most-unique categories plus people's and judges' choices; three judges scored on flavor and presentation, and patrons voted with miniature spoons. Cathy's Catering and Cafe won the people's choice award.
History
16th annual Souper Bowl; some first-time competitors this year alongside several who have competed for years.
16th annual Souper Bowl. 2026 winners: people's choice, Cathy's Catering and Cafe (around 11 wins total); best meat-based, Molly's Irish Grille and Pub; best cream-based, Winsor Deli; best seafood-based, Taichi Bubble Tea; best vegan, Roasted.
On the menu
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soups
By Cathy’s Creative Catering and Café, Hanoverville Roadhouse, La Kang Chicken & Rice, Lehigh Catering, Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub, Northampton Community College – Culinary Arts, Palette & Pour, Panchitas Kitchen, Roasted, Taichi Bubble Tea, The View at Morgan Hill, Winsor Deli
Competition soups from regional restaurants and caterers
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sweet potato casserole soup with a crumb topping
By Cathy’s Creative Catering and Cafe
Debuted at the event; won the 2026 people's choice award
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Yen Ta Fo
By La Kang Chicken and Rice
All-natural Northern Thai street food dish with a distinctive rosy hue
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roasted tomato soup
By Winsor Deli
Won best cream-based soup
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crab egg drop soup
By Taichi Bubble Tea
Won best seafood-based soup
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Moroccan lentil and chickpea soup
By Roasted
Won best vegan soup
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Yen Ta Fo soup
Also served
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baked goods and desserts
By The Bake-A-Re
For purchase
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Yuengling beer
Available with the VIP free drink ticket
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Franklin Hills wine
Available with the VIP free drink ticket
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soft drink
Available with the VIP free drink ticket
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drinks from the bar
For attendees to cleanse their palates
Who's who
Organised by
- Alexis Kuczek Programming Coordinator at ArtsQuest; Event coordinator at ArtsQuest, oversees the Souper Bowl
- ArtsQuest (SteelStacks, Bethlehem)
Supported by
- Yuengling Beer available with the VIP free drink ticket
- Franklin Hills Wine available with the VIP free drink ticket
- The Brick Gift certificates in the raffle basket
Taking part
- Cathy’s Creative Catering and Café Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup; Won the 2026 people's choice award (as Cathy's Catering and Cafe); about 11 wins total
- Hanoverville Roadhouse Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup; Gift certificates in the raffle basket
- La Kang Chicken & Rice Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup
- Lehigh Catering Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup; Competitor
- Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup
- Northampton Community College – Culinary Arts Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup
- Palette & Pour Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup
- Panchitas Kitchen Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup
- Roasted Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup; Won best vegan soup; coffee beans in the raffle basket
- Taichi Bubble Tea Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup; Won best seafood-based soup
- The View at Morgan Hill Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup
- Winsor Deli Participating restaurant/caterer, competing with a soup; Won best cream-based soup
- The Bake-A-Re Offers baked goods and desserts for purchase
- Joseph Ayala Representative for Cathy's Creative Catering and Cafe
- La Kang Chicken and Rice Competitor with Yen Ta Fo soup
- Anthony Valdez ("Thai Tony") Represented La Kang Chicken and Rice
- Molly’s Irish Grille and Sports Pub Won best meat-based soup; gift certificates in the raffle basket
Good to know
- Ticket pricing is lower until January 24; prices increase the week of the event.
- VIP tickets give entry one hour early for the first tastes of the soups, plus a free drink ticket good for any Yuengling beer, Franklin Hills wine or soft drink.
- A limited number of tickets is available for children 12 and under; children 2 and under do not need a ticket.
- Restaurants or caterers wishing to take part can fill out the participation form on the ArtsQuest site.
- Baked goods and desserts from The Bake-A-Re are available for purchase.
- Restaurants or caterers who want to take part can fill out the form at https://fest.formstack.com/forms/souperbowlxvi.
- Each patron receives three miniature spoons on arrival that serve as ballots for the people's choice award.
- Raffle for a prize basket with goods from competing vendors (gift certificates to The Brick, Molly's Irish Grille and Sports Pub and Hanoverville Roadhouse, coffee beans from Roasted, merchandise).
- Drinks available from the bar to cleanse the palate.
- Full containers of soup could not be purchased at the event.
- Drinks were available from the bar.
- Guests returned to their seats at the end for the winners' announcement.
- Winners
- People's choice: Cathy's Catering and Cafe (sweet potato casserole soup); best meat-based: Molly's Irish Grille (chicken tortilla); best cream-based: Winsor Deli (roasted tomato); best seafood: Taichi Bubble Tea (crab egg drop); best vegan: Roasted (Moroccan lentil and chickpea)
Everything the announcement says
Every detail, as the festival announced it.
Local Chefs Take the Ladle at Souper Bowl XVI! (ArtsQuest News, January 14, 2026)
Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA. January 14, 2026 – ArtsQuest invites the community to warm up winter with bold flavors and some friendly competition at the 16th Annual Souper Bowl! This culinary competition will take place on Sunday, February 1 at 1 p.m. in the Musikfest Café.
Restaurants and caterers from throughout the region will prepare their tastiest soups to compete in the categories of Cream-based, Meat-based, Most Unique, Seafood-based, Vegan, Judges' Favorite and People's Choice.
"We are SOUPer excited to be hosting the Souper Bowl XVI this year. We have some first-time competitors, in addition to several who have been competing for years," said Alexis Kuczek, Programming Coordinator at ArtsQuest. "I'm always impressed by the creativity and effort all the restaurants put into their soup entries, and I think we'll have a great showing again this year."
Participating restaurants include: Cathy's Creative Catering and Café; Hanoverville Roadhouse; La Kang Chicken & Rice; Lehigh Catering; Molly's Irish Grille & Sports Pub; Northampton Community College – Culinary Arts; Palette & Pour; Panchitas Kitchen; Roasted; Taichi Bubble Tea; The View at Morgan Hill; Winsor Deli.
The Bake-A-Re will be offering baked goods and desserts for purchase.
Fans of this annual favorite event are encouraged to take advantage of ticket pricing until January 24, as pricing increases the week of the event.
VIP tickets not only allow you into the event an hour early so you get the first tastes of the soups, but you'll also get a free drink ticket good for any Yuengling beer, Franklin Hills wine or soft drink.
Restaurants or caterers who want to be part of Souper Bowl XVI can fill out the form on the ArtsQuest website.
There are a limited number of tickets available for children 12 and under. Children 2 and under are not required to have a ticket to gain access to the Souper Bowl.
Banner image: alphabet pasta in tomato soup spelling "SOUPER BOWL XVI 2.1".
ArtsQuest's Souper Bowl XVI celebrates Bethlehem's diverse dining culture (The Brown and White, February 4, 2026).
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to correct an error regarding soup sales. Participants weren't able to purchase full containers of soup at the event.
The Musikfest Cafe at SteelStacks filled with a festival-like atmosphere Sunday as ArtsQuest held its 16th annual Souper Bowl, featuring 15 soup competitors from Bethlehem. Vendors handed out tasting cups while classic hits from the 1950s and '60s echoed throughout the venue.
The Souper Bowl featured local vendors and caterers competing in cream-based, meat-based, vegan and most-unique categories, along with people's and judges' choices.
Food services including Molly's Irish Grille and Sports Pub, Roasted, La Kang Chicken and Rice and Lehigh Catering presented original and new recipes.
Throughout the event, a panel of three judges moved through the tasting tables, completing a grading rubric based on flavor and presentation to determine winners.
Upon arrival, each patron received three miniature spoons — similar to ice cream sample spoons — which served as ballots for the people's choice award. To cast a vote, people dropped their spoon into the corresponding receptacle box.
Guests circulated through the tasting tables in an orderly fashion, learning the backstory and inspiration behind each soup.
Cathy's Catering and Cafe won the 2026 people's choice award and debuted a sweet potato casserole soup with a crumb topping at the event.
Joseph Ayala, a representative for Cathy's Creative Catering and Cafe, said the Souper Bowl provided an opportunity to showcase the business following a recent transition. "I've worked for Cathy for 22 years," Ayala said. "She retired as of last year, and we took over, so this is our chance to show what we have to offer." Ayala said the company introduces a new soup each year and has earned around 11 wins total.
Once voting concluded, the receptacles were collected and weighed to determine the people's choice winner.
Anthony Valdez — also known as "Thai Tony" — represented La Kang Chicken and Rice at the event. Before opening his restaurant, Valdez worked as a chef at Lehigh's Clayton University Center for 12 years prior to its renovation, where he contributed to the former Chick-N-Bap restaurant. Valdez said he opened La Kang Chicken and Rice on the South Side in hopes of eventually bringing his menu back to Lehigh, and plans to offer a free drink to students who stop by the restaurant. "Hopefully, if (Lehigh students) enjoy (La Kang Chicken and Rice), maybe we can talk to somebody (at) Lehigh and have (the restaurant at) Lehigh," Valdez said.
La Kang Chicken and Rice presented its Yen Ta Fo soup, an all-natural Northern Thai street food dish with a distinctive rosy hue. The restaurant began operating in Easton in 2020 and opened its South Side location in April 2025. Valdez said staff members regularly eat the food served at the restaurant: "The reason we put (Yen Ta Fo) on there is because we love it, and we hope everybody else loves it as well."
Event coordinator Alexis Kuczek said she began working at ArtsQuest as a comedy and cinema assistant before transitioning into event leadership roles, including overseeing the Souper Bowl. For this year's event, Kuczek created an immersive environment where attendees could cleanse their palates with drinks from the bar. "One of the highlights of my day is going around and just getting little samples of everything that's left," Kuczek said.
Guests also had the opportunity to enter a raffle for a prize basket featuring goods from competing vendors, including gift certificates to The Brick, Molly's Irish Grille and Sports Pub and Hanoverville Roadhouse, coffee beans from Roasted and merchandise from multiple participants.
At the end of the event, guests returned to their seats for the announcement of category winners.
Molly's Irish Grille and Pub won best meat-based soup for its chicken tortilla soup; Winsor Deli won best cream-based soup for its roasted tomato soup; Taichi Bubble Tea won best seafood-based soup for its crab egg drop soup; and Roasted won best vegan soup for its Moroccan lentil and chickpea soup.
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Location
Musikfest Café, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 18015, Pennsylvania, United States
Confirm the venue and access information with the organizer before travelling.
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Prices and tickets
What's included
- Soup tastings
- VIP: entry an hour early and a free drink ticket good for any Yuengling beer, Franklin Hills wine or soft drink
- Tasting cups of the competing soups
- Three miniature spoons used as ballots for the people's choice award
How to get tickets
- Ticket pricing is lower until January 24; pricing increases the week of the event.
- VIP tickets available.
- A limited number of tickets for children 12 and under; children 2 and under do not need a ticket.