Chris Maul of New York said the Souper Bowl event was the coolest thing to be doing Sunday.
“We always try to do things local people do when we travel,” said Sarah Maurer of New York. “We saw this in the newspaper and thought it was a pretty good thing to try. Now, we just need to worry about not cracking the bowls when we go home.”
Clayworks at Kilohana hosted its 22nd annual Souper Bowl event as a fundraiser for the Mobile Munchies program presented by the Lihue Lutheran Church. The late Sunday morning event finished just in time for the National Football League Super Bowl LII kickoff.
“When we left Poipu this morning, it was coming down pretty hard,” said Robert Pittman, whose wife Susan is one of the operators at Clayworks. “That rain must have driven people to come in early. We had a crowd early — before church started.”
For a donation — 100 percent of the proceeds going to benefit the Mobile Munchies program — patrons could select a handmade ceramic bow and fill it with corn chowder created by Gaylord’s at Kilohana Executive Chef Mark Sassone. They could enjoy it with freshly baked rolls from the Bread and Deli Connection, and then take the bowl home once the soup was gone.
On-site diners were treated to music, including performances by violinist Kimberly Hope McDonough, courtesy of the Gaylord’s lanai.
“We did a similar event in Phoenix, Arizona,” said Terry Mansfield. “We’d get a bowl and enjoy pasta to help those who are less fortunate than others. This is my first experience on Kauai, and I’m looking for a square design.”
The square design was new this year. There was also a line of special, limited edition “cat-astrophe” models: bowls marked with kitty prints.
“When we left one night, some of the little guys must have stayed in,” Susan Pittman said. “We didn’t know until we came in the next morning and saw where the little guys had gone through the set out bowls. We made them sign the editions.”
When Souper Bowl was started, there was no Mobile Munchies program, she said. Clayworks partnered with The Salvation Army, who received the proceeds.
“We also partnered with the Kauai Independent Food Bank, and when the Lihue Lutheran Church started its Mobile Munchies program, Clayworks has partnered with them,” she said.
The special handmade bowls, without the benefit of soup, will be available through the rest of the week at Clayworks at Kilohana during regular operating hours.
“This is the coolest thing to do on a day like today,” Maul said.
