High Desert Food & Farm Alliance hosted its third annual SOUPer Bowl event on Saturday, February 7. Dear Mom Cafe earned the top prize for the second time, this year for their Khao Soi, a Northern Thai curry noodle soup known for its rich, aromatic coconut curry broth. They were selected as the overall winner through a combination of attendees’ votes and points awarded by a panel of local culinary experts.
Dear Mom Cafe is a community-driven Thai restaurant in Bend, Oregon, founded by chef-owner Jattalee Chalernhinthong. Inspired by the flavors of her childhood in Thailand, Chef Jattalee shares the warmth of family-style dining, focusing on soulful, comforting Thai food made with intention. “We’re incredibly honored and grateful to everyone who voted. The SOUPer Bowl is so special to our team, and this truly means a lot to us.” said Chef Jattalee.
Mt. Bachelor’s seafood stew and JIA Asian Street Kitchen’s Khao Soi placed second and third, respectively.
The SOUPer Bowl is HDFFA’s largest annual fundraiser, welcoming 400 guests over two seatings to sample soups made by Central Oregon restaurants. Each of the 14 participating restaurants are HDFFA Partners and committed to sourcing local ingredients when possible. Together, they showcased the diversity and creativity of Central Oregon’s agriculture and culinary community while celebrating the vibrant local food scene.
“This event was a tremendous success for our organization.” said Kristin Points, HDFFA Executive Director. “The SOUPerBowl celebrates local restaurants and chefs, strengthens connections to local food, raises critical funds, and supports our work advancing food access in Central Oregon while investing in our community’s farmers, ranchers, and food producers.
“We’re so grateful to the restaurants who participated, to our guest judges, and to the attendees who support our mission through this event.”
The 2026 SOUPer Bowl featured soups from 14 local restaurants, including 10 Barrel Brewing, Anthony’s Restaurant at the Old Mill, A Broken Angel, Central Oregon Soup Company, Dear Mom Cafe, Deschutes Brewery, El Sancho, Jackson’s Corner, JIA Asian Street Kitchen, Mountain Burger, Mt. Bachelor, Roots at Heart, Schoolhouse Produce, and Wild Rye at Brasada.
Guest judges included Ali Murray @bendoregonwithali , Chrissy Wilson of @gooddaybend , Josh Cordell “The Bend Burger Guy” @joshcordell , Linda Orcetto of KPOV, and Emily Kirk from Central Oregon Daily News @emilykirk_. The event was emceed by Jon Jones @thebendfoodie.
HDFFA is a 501(c)3 non-profit serving Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties as well as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. HDFFA’s mission is to support a healthy and thriving food & farm network through education, collaboration, and inclusion. For more info visit hdffa.org.
This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.
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