When Clifton Park resident Connie Crudo was hired by Discover Saratoga ahead of the 2008 Chowderfest, she didn’t even know what Chowderfest was. At the time, that wasn’t even that unusual—the now-famous chowder cook-off that pits local restaurants against one another had never drawn more than 8,000 attendees
But Crudo was about to change that
Sixteen years later, everyone in the Capital Region knows Chowderfest, which these days brings in some 40,000 attendees—all thanks to Crudo and her team
“I knew just from walking around that first year that this thing had legs—that there was definitely an opportunity to grow it, involve more businesses, and bring more financial contribution to the downtown area,” she says. “I started working on that, and each year we would add something to it. And now it’s grown into the monster that it is.”
Such additions include the shuttle service that now runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Saratoga Casino Hotel and downtown, and the now-defunct Doggie Chow Down, which was inspired by Impressions owner Mare Barker’s desire to make chowder for the many dogs that used to accompany their owners to Chowderfest. Other local businesses hopped on board, and at the first-ever Doggie Chow Down in 2008, then-Mayor Scott Johnson’s Mastiff, Dr. Watson, served as the judge.
“The mayor would walk the dog down a red carpet and let him sniff each of the bowls of chowder,” Crudo says. “And then he would loosen the leash and whatever bowl the dog went for was the winner.”
Eventually, Chowderfest grew too large for the event, which was discontinued in 2017 when Discover Saratoga began discouraging people from bringing their dogs at all because of the crowds.
Over the years, the sidewalks became so packed that Crudo began working with the City to shut down streets that saw some of the most foot traffic. The closure came in especially handy in 2013, when Crudo helped organize a flash mob that took to Caroline Street at 11 a.m..
“We were working with a videographer that was going to create a video for us, and I had a dream that you could see red hats bopping up and down,” Crudo says. “So we started selling beanies, and people went wild. They were like, ‘I’ll give you $50 right now for that hat.’”
Every year since then, Discover Saratoga has sold beanies along with the signature Chowderfest T-shirts that, until 2022, featured artwork by artist Hud Armstrong. When the local legend passed away later that year, Mark Jewell of Squid Designs stepped up to design a 2023 Chowderfest logo in Armstrong’s signature style of the now-iconic boy, girl, duck and squirrel in front of 9 Maple, where he bartended for years. This year’s logo features the fab foursome in the Saratoga Spa State Park in honor of the New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s centennial.
But that’s not the only milestone anniversary that was celebrated at this year’s Chowderfest: This year marked the annual event’s 25th anniversary. In honor of the occasion, Discover Saratoga had all sorts of special events planned, from kids activities and photo ops to pop-up dance performances by Dance Fire Studio and a scavenger hunt for 100 hidden horseshoes. At last count, 86 restaurants were set to serve chowder.
Chowderfest has become such a to-do, that Crudo says she regularly gets calls from out-of-towners who are coming to Saratoga just for the event.
“I literally get phone calls from Canada,” she says. “’We’re coming for Chowderfest, where can I book a room?’ Or, ‘Where does it take place? I live in California and I’ve never been.’”
One year, she even advised a group of aviators from a Long Island-based Piper plane club on how to get from the Saratoga County Airport to Chowderfest, since about eight of them were flying up for the day.
“Covid kind of shut us down,” says Crudo, who remembers her legs being red for days following the frigid Chowderfest of 2015, of the pandemic-caused lull in numbers. “But we’ve gone up every year since.”
Crudo even gets calls from out-of-town restaurant owners who want to compete. “I have people from New Jersey call and say, ‘Well, I won the chowder fest in New Jersey, and I bet I could win in Saratoga too—I want to be entered,’” she says. “I’m like, ‘No, you can’t.’ The whole reason this was started was to bring business to our downtown establishments during a slow time. I don’t want somebody from New Jersey coming and making $10,000 at our event when that money could have been divided between the downtown businesses.”
If bringing business to downtown bars and restaurants was the whole point of Chowderfest, it’s working.
“Ask any restaurant,” Crudo says. “It’s the busiest day of the year—busier than Travers. Years ago, Will from Esperanto told me that Chowderfest literally keeps his people employed and his lights on for the entire month.”
Speaking of employment, this year’s event marked the last Chowderfest that was organized by Crudo—she’s retiring later this year.
“I can go on all day about Chowderfest,” she says. “It’s a passion, and it’s been exciting to watch it grow. We’ve worked with so many different people through the years. I love it. But it’s too much. It’s a young person’s job. I’m not there anymore.”
Of course, retirement doesn’t mean the end of Crudo’s Chowderfest escapades. Next year, instead of organizing sponsor booths and checking in on the 80-plus participating restaurants, you’ll find her bellied up to the bar, belly full of chowder.