Legal Aid’s Annual Benefit a Taste for Justice

For the first time in six years, Chowderfest, the much-cherished annual fundraiser for the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County, is coming back to its most popular location this September. Following a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the food-and-fun filled benefit bounced over to Rancho La Patera & Stow House in Goleta for its 2023 event, then took another pause last year for a special 65th anniversary celebration at the Anchor Rose. 

But popular demand has brought Chowderfest: A Taste for Justice back where it belongs at The Carriage & Western Art Museum on Castillo Street near West Beach. 

“Everybody has been asking us if we were doing Chowderfest this year,” said Jennifer Smith, Legal Aid’s Executive Director. “So we are really excited to be bringing it back again as our only fundraiser of the year.” 

First held in 2010 as a charity cook-off, Chowderfest was the brainchild of a new Legal Aid Foundation board member who had connections to the food and restaurant world. That inaugural event quickly grew into a “must attend” for the area’s best chefs and restaurateurs vying for bragging rights of “Best Chowder in Santa Barbara.” Along the way, the daytime bash added other food vendors also sharing their tasty treats, as well as local wineries and breweries serving up their beverages, plus live music and a silent auction. The casual afternoon event still stands on the other end of the spectrum from the typical gala on the crowded benefit calendar, which those in the legal profession know only too well may present as a bit more run-of-the-mill by comparison to Chowderfest. 

“It’s just so much fun for everyone, because people can mingle all afternoon, and taste the different chowders, then vote for their favorite,” Smith said. “And the chefs love coming up with something different for the competition.” 

Bluewater Grill, Dargan’s, Dutch Gardens, Local, Moby Dick & The Oyster Bar, Santa Barbara Fish Market, Scarlett Begonia, and the new Ellwood restaurant at Goleta Beach are among those already signed up to provide food for Chowderfest. Sixteen different wineries and vineyards have already enrolled to be pouring glasses of their finest varietals, along with Figueroa Mountain brewery and Institution Ale. 

More restaurants and/or caterers are expected to join the lineup to vie for the coveted chowder champion challenge. 

“We typically have around 10 restaurants competing for the top chowder prize,” Smith said. “The chefs are true culinary talents, and they love to get creative in creating their chowders. So it’s always a fun and fierce competition.” 

Even more so for the attendees, as foodies can sample as much of the souped-up chowders and other appetizers as they like. And along with filling their bellies, guests can also feel fulfilled that they are helping Legal Aid fulfill its mission to provide free civil legal services to those in need countywide. 

Tickets for Chowderfest are on sale now at $125 for the September 28 event. But for those who want to step up to the plate (pardon the pun) in a bigger way, it’s not too late to sign up to be a sponsor.  Though this year’s 2025 Chowderfest: A Taste for Justice takes place a scant month away from this issue’s publication date, sponsor signups are still welcome. Levels of participation range from $500 to $10,000, and sponsors receive increasing numbers of complimentary tickets to the event, as well listing on the event website, social media, pre-and-post-event publicity, and acknowledgment during the event. There are even fun, soup-sational titles for the various levels, from Corn Chowder Circle ($500), Vegetable Chowder ($1,000) and Fish Chowder ($2,500) to Clam Chowder ($5,000) and $10,000 Lobster Chowder Circles. Yes, the crustacean, mollusk, and fish-adjacent sponsorships do seem to lord it over the veggie labels, no judgement is meant to be implied. 

It’s also still possible to donate items in advance for the event’s silent auction.

Most importantly, with all the proceeds going directly to support Legal Aid, there’s the knowledge that you’re helping the nonprofit to balance the scales of justice in civil court, as Legal Aid’s attorneys help their clients in navigating the sometimes confusing legal system from, ahem, soup to nuts.

“Everyone knows that when you’re charged with a crime, and you can’t afford an attorney, you have a right to be appointed a public defender,” Smith said. “But that same government function does not exist for all things civil. We truly rely on and need local community support to make these services available to those in need in our community.”

Legal Aid focuses on areas involving shelter, safety and stability; critical issues that speak to someone’s ability to stay housed, their ability to stay safe and free from abuse, and to stay economically stable, Smith said. 

“That includes representing tenants at risk of eviction, survivors of intimate partner violence, assisting seniors and others in consumer protection issues, and more,” she said. 

The nonprofit’s 23 staff members countywide include top-drawer attorneys who have opted to provide excellent legal services to those in need vs. climbing the corporate billables ladder. 

“It’s a very dedicated group and you’ll see them – our lawyers, our staff and our board members and volunteers – out there at the event,” Smith said. “They’ll be checking people in, helping to serve, manning the auction tables. We’re all passionate about our work.”

Having local support is also crucial to being seen by other private foundations and grantors who may then consider participation in vital funding for the nonprofit, Smith said. 

While buying a regular pass to Chowderfest directly supports Legal Aid’s vital work in the community, the nonprofit also wants to make its event accessible for all to attend. Students, employees of nonprofits and others on limited income may contact Nadia Romero at [email protected] to request a sliding scale ticket. 

So don’t be a chowderhead and miss out!  

Visit https://santabarbarachowderfest.com or www.lafsbc.org