Devour! Chowder Smackdown - Wolfville 2026
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Next edition
The 2026 date isn't out yet
Usually held around late October.
Based on 2 past editions
Event Details
- Date & Time
- Saturday, October 24, 2026 · 12:30 pm
- Price
- $40 per person, samples of 8 chowders
Programme
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12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Wolfville Waterfront Park
Wolfville Waterfront Park, Wolfville, NS
Tasting of eight seafood chowders by Ned Bell, Charlotte Langley, Stéphane Levac, Martin Ruíz Salvador, Seb Arsenault, Adam Bauer, Matt Krizan, Doug Kennedy and the Devour! team; public vote and jury judging for the People's Choice Award and the Jury Award.
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12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Chowder Smackdown: taste eight seafood chowders, vote with the judges (People's Choice Award and Jury Award)
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About This Event
The Devour! Chowder Smackdown is a battle of the bowls at Wolfville Waterfront Park, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, on Saturday 24 October 2026, 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm, returning just in time for Devour! The Sea. Visiting chefs Ned Bell and Charlotte Langley join regional culinary talent. Guests taste eight wildly different seafood chowders, from traditional takes to bold reinventions, and vote alongside a panel of judges for the People's Choice Award and the Jury Award; two chefs earn the right to call themselves Devour! Chowder Champions. Presented by IPC Securities.
On the menu
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Seafood chowders (eight)
By the participating chefs/restaurants
Eight wildly different seafood chowders, from traditional takes to bold reinventions
Who's who
Organised by
- Devour! The Food Film Fest Festival the event belongs to (Devour! The Sea)
Supported by
- IPC Securities Presenter of the event
Taking part
- Ned Bell (Hatch Hospitality) Celebrated Canadian chef, sustainable seafood advocate; co-owner of Hatch Hospitality, Creative Advisor for Okanagan College's forthcoming Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism, Culinary Director at Planetary Health, Buy BC Champion, Board Member and Co-Chair of Sustainability for the Chefs' Table Society (visiting chef)
- Charlotte Langley (Nice Cans) Classically trained chef and sustainable seafood advocate from Prince Edward Island; founder of Scout Canning and Langley Foods Inc.; Nice Cans is her MSC-certified premium canned seafood label; MSC Canadian Chef Ambassador; first cookbook 'Nice Cans: A Boldly Delicious Cookbook' due spring 2027 (visiting chef)
- Stéphane Levac (Maritime Express) Indigenous chef with roots in M'Chigeeng First Nation, from Sturgeon Falls, Ontario; now in Nova Scotia; Executive Chef at Maritime Express Cider Co. in Kentville
- Martin Ruíz Salvador (Beach Pea Kitchen & Bar, Salt Shaker Deli & Inn, South Shore Fish Shack, Half Shell Oyster Bar, and Bar Salvador) Award-winning chef, Nova Scotia-born, trained at Le Cordon Bleu, worked in MICHELIN-starred kitchens in Ireland and France; with wife and partner Sylvie runs five Lunenburg establishments
- Seb Arsenault (Lightfoot & Wolfville) Participating chef (Lightfoot & Wolfville)
- Adam Bauer (The Olde Fish Factory) Participating chef (The Olde Fish Factory)
- Matt Krizan (Mateus Bistro) Participating chef (Mateus Bistro)
- Doug Kennedy (Paddy’s Pub) Participating chef (Paddy’s Pub)
- Devour! Team Also participating
Good to know
- $40 per person, including samples of 8 seafood chowders.
- Tickets via Ticketpro; festival passes and packages are also available.
- Event type: EVENT; add-to-calendar options (ICS, Google, Office 365, Outlook) provided.
- Awards: People's Choice Award and Jury Award; two chefs become Devour! Chowder Champions.
Everything the announcement says
Every detail, as the festival announced it.
Devour! Chowder Smackdown. Saturday, October 24, 2026, 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm, Wolfville Waterfront Park, Wolfville, NS. $40 per person; includes samples of 8 seafood chowders. Presented by IPC Securities. Grab a spoon. The Chowder Smackdown returns just in time for Devour! The Sea, bringing acclaimed visiting chefs Ned Bell and Charlotte Langley with some of the region's top culinary talent, Martin Ruiz Salvador and Stéphane Levac and many more, for a battle of the bowls. Taste eight wildly different seafood chowders, then cast your vote alongside the judges. Two titles: People's Choice Award and Jury Award; two chefs become Devour! Chowder Champions. Participating chefs/restaurants: Ned Bell (Hatch Hospitality), Charlotte Langley (Nice Cans), Stéphane Levac (Maritime Express), Martin Ruíz Salvador (Beach Pea Kitchen & Bar, Salt Shaker Deli & Inn, South Shore Fish Shack, Half Shell Oyster Bar, and Bar Salvador), Seb Arsenault (Lightfoot & Wolfville), Adam Bauer (The Olde Fish Factory), Matt Krizan (Mateus Bistro), Doug Kennedy (Paddy’s Pub) and the Devour! Team. Chef bios for Ned Bell, Charlotte Langley, Stéphane Levac and Martin Ruiz Salvador as in the people entries.
Festival information may be incomplete, out of date or wrong. Always check with the organizer before travelling.
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Location
Wolfville Waterfront Park, Wolfville, NS, Canada
Confirm the venue and access information with the organizer before travelling.
Open in Google MapsPrices and tickets
- Per person; includes samples of 8 seafood chowders
- $40
What's included
- Samples of 8 seafood chowders
- A vote in the People's Choice Award
How to get tickets
- Buy tickets online via Ticketpro (Buy Tickets link); $40 per person.
- Festival passes and packages are also available on the Devour! ticketing site.