Islanders pay tribute to aquatic friends during Shellfish Festival in P.E.I.

By Stephen Brun

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

Transcontinental Media/The Guardian

It was a tribute to crustaceans at the Charlottetown, P.E.I. waterfront this past weekend.

Large crowds highlighted the 2008 International Shellfish Festival, with organizers saying the overall numbers were up from last year.

It was standing room only in the festival tent on Saturday, with people waiting to see – and sample – the entries in the second heat of the P.E.I. Seafood Chowder Championship.

Dwayne MacLeod of Sim’s restaurant in Charlottetown and his chowder creation were ultimately judged to be the best. “I try to use local, fresh ingredients and a lot of love,” said MacLeod after his victory and also placing second in Sunday’s Cream International Chowder Championship. “Basically I try to key in on all natural ingredients. It’s pretty gratifying to win.”

One of the contest rules stipulated that all the chowders had to include P.E.I. potatoes, although most incorporated Island shellfish and produce, keeping with the new Buy P.E.I. Initiative.

Duncan Smith, who cooks his chowder out of the Dayboat restaurant in Rustico, was the favourite going into the contest, having won both the Island championship and the international event last year.

He said he wisely kept his “Just For My Nan” chowder similar to last year’s recipe. “There’s lots of P.E.I. vegetables, any Island seafoods I can get my hands on, some cream and a little love,” he told the crowd.

Macleod – who is from Brandon, Manitoba, but has been living on the Island for about 15 years – lost out in the international championship to Ottawa’s Dwayne Lapine.

Saturday also saw some shucking, with 12 competitors doing their best to beat the clock and present a clean plate of oysters to win the P.E.I. championship.

Two-time Canadian champion Jason Woodside, who now lives on the Island, wowed the crowd by shucking 12 oysters in 1:04 before penalties to take home the provincial title.

In addition to the international chowder championship, oyster shuckers again took to the stage to vie for the World Invitational title. ‘Oyster’ Bob Skinner of Vancouver, who won the contest for the first time in three appearances at the festival, pumped his fists and let out a roar on stage when he was announced as the winner.