Cook. Compete. Support. Together, we can make a difference.
The Field Is SetNine Teams Cooking For Our First Responders
Nine teams of two, each cooking in honor of a police, fire, or EMS agency. You taste four soups a night, vote for the People’s Choice, and watch the mystery basket round live.
St. Susan Center’s four-week soup cook-off. Nine teams of cooks, no badge required, each competing in honor of a Police, Fire, or EMS agency.
Each team of two brings one 5-gallon stock pot of soup, then opens a mystery basket and cooks an appetizer and entree live in front of the crowd. You taste four soups and vote for the People’s Choice. The judges score the plates, and one team wins the night and moves on to Championship Night.
A look at the 2022 showdown.
Fill each bowl with love.
Why we are cooking
A walk-in freezer for St. Susan Center
Every dollar raised goes toward a much-needed walk-in freezer. Here is what that changes in the kitchen.
Store more food safely, in much larger quantities
Accept bigger donations from community partners
Cut waste on perishable food with nowhere to go
Keep serving thousands of nutritious meals every year
Nine teams. Three badges. One title.Meet the badges
You do not need to wear a badge to cook for one. Every team picked the service they are competing in honor of, three teams per badge.
Three Teams
Police
Three Teams
Fire
Three Teams
EMS
Four Thursdays in SeptemberEvent Schedule
Every night runs 5:30 to 7:30 PM in the St. Susan Center parking lot, 31 Water Street. Weekly winners advance to Championship Night.
Nine teams of two, three per badge. Individuals, families, businesses, clubs, community groups and first responder departments all put in a team, and not one of them needed a badge to do it.
Each team brings one 5-gallon stock pot of their best soup, then takes on the mystery basket in front of the crowd. Three nights of qualifiers, one night of champions.
Cooking in someone’s honor
Every team dedicated their entry to a first responder organization of their choice. We announce the dedication with the team on their night.
Local volunteer fire departments
Police departments
EMS agencies
Any other first responder organization
What the cooks are in for
One 5-gallon pot of soup, judged by the crowd
A mystery basket appetizer and entree, cooked live
Sign-ups for the 2027 showdown open next summer. Send us a note and we will tell you the day they do. In the meantime, the best way to help is to come eat: every ticket goes toward the walk-in freezer.
A soup kitchen at 31 Water Street in Jamestown. The doors open, people come in, and they eat. No application, no means test, no cost. Thousands of meals a year, paid for by this community.
No. Tickets are sold per night. Adults are $20, kids 6 to 12 are $10, children under 5 get in free with no ticket, and a $50 family ticket covers up to 2 adults and 3 children. Plenty of people come to all four, so you will need a ticket for each night you attend.
How much soup do I get?
Four soups, 6 to 8 ounces each. You get one from every team competing that night, plus one made by the St. Susan Center chef.
Do guests taste the appetizer and entree?
Those go to the judges’ panel. Guests taste and vote on the soups and watch the mystery basket rounds live.
Is this indoors or outdoors?
All four nights are held in the St. Susan Center parking lot at 31 Water Street. Dress for the weather. If a night has to move or reschedule, we will post it here and on Facebook.
Can I bring my kids?
Yes. This is a family event. Kids 6 to 12 are $10 and children under 5 get in free with no ticket needed. If you are bringing a few, the $50 family ticket covers up to 2 adults and 3 children.
What about food allergies?
Ingredients vary by team and are decided the night of the event. Ask at the tasting table and the teams will tell you what is in the pot. If you have a serious allergy, email us ahead of time and we will do what we can.
Can I still enter a team?
Not this year. Entries closed August 20 and all nine spots are filled. Sign-ups for 2027 open next summer, and you do not need to be a first responder to enter: any two cooks can put in a team and cook in honor of the badge they choose. Email us and we will let you know when the form opens.
Where does the money go?
Proceeds go to St. Susan Center to purchase a walk-in freezer, so the kitchen can store more donated food safely and waste less of it.
Photo gallery
Pictures from the lot
Photos post after each night. Tag yours #BattleOfTheBadgesCHQ.
Opening night Thursday, Sept 3
Coming up
Three Thursdays left. Photos from each one land here the next day.
Week 2 Sept 10
Week 3 Sept 17
Championship Sept 24
News and press
Latest updates
Opening night is in the books
A full tent on Water Street, the first four soups tasted and voted on, and three Thursdays still to come. Tickets for Sept 10, 17 and 24 are on sale above.
The field is set
Entries closed August 20 with all nine spots filled, three per badge. Meet the teams above.
Team sign-ups and sponsor packets are open
Nine spots, three per badge. Six sponsorship levels. Both close as they fill.
Guests come to the counter and tell you what they want. Pick the soup, add the toppings they asked for, and get it to them before their patience runs out.
