There are dynasties and there are dynasties.
The Mings ruled China for more than 275 years and contributed its venerable vase to the art world. In the late 1930s to the early 1960s the New York Yankees were dominant in baseball, building not one but two distinct dynasties to win 15 World Series in that time. Then there were the New York Islanders who during the first few years of the 1980s captured the Stanley Cup four times. And the Cowboys and the Chicago Bulls put together dynasties in their respective sports as well.
But in recent history no one could compare to the undisputed title of "Best Clam Chowder in Port Jefferson." For three years in a row, The Village Way was the Boss of Bivalves. The Champs of Chowder. The King of Clams.
Leave it to an upstart to steal the crown.
This past October, the champion of clam chowder came from what many might say was the unlikeliest of places.
C’est Cheese - known more for its Cheddar than its chowder - walked away with the title of "Best Clam Chowder in Port Jefferson," according to The Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. The chowder crawl has been a part of the village’s annual Harvest Festival for the past four years.
Folks pay up ten bucks for a chance to stuff their faces with chowder samples from a series of participating restaurants in the village. A sleeve of styrofoam cups, plastic spoons and a ratings sheet in hand, people wander the avenues and alleys sampling chowder and then voting for their favorite.
When the Saltine dust settled at the end of the day and the votes were tallied, C’est Cheese won the contest.
The scuttlebutt is that C’est Cheese’s chowder was "unbelievable, lots of herbs,” according to one anonymous source.
Every dynasty must come to an end. Ming Dynasty vases have become punchlines in countless slapstick comedy gags since its reign ended. The Yankees dominated in the ensuing the years but have recently become a disappointment to fans. The Islanders probably still lament the era of the Gordon’s Fisherman logo - a startling fall from grace. And The Village Way must make way for a new Chowder Champ in Port Jefferson.
As they say, there’s always next year.
