Recipes are being refined and the stockpots are coming out of storage, as restaurants gear up and get ready to go head to head in ArtsQuest’s Souper Bowl XIII.

The annual culinary competition is set for noon-3 p.m. Feb. 5 in the Musikfest Cafe, presented by Yuengling.

“We look forward to continuing this delicious tradition in 2023,” said Ryan Hill, ArtsQuest senior director of programming. “It’s always a pleasure to see the ingenuity of our area restaurants and the friendly competition that comes about at the Souper Bowl.”

Special VIP tickets for this year’s event include early admission for the first tastes of soup, a free drink ticket for any Yuengling beer, Franklin Hills Vineyards wine or soft drink and automatic entry into an exclusive VIP raffle for a chance to win tickets to upcoming ArtsQuest events.

To purchase tickets to Souper Bowl XIII, visit steelstacks.org or call the ArtsQuest box office at 610-332-3378. For more exclusive ticket access and advance purchase opportunities, become an?ArtsQuest Circle donor?today.

Restaurants and caterers from throughout the region bring their tastiest soup creations to the cafe and compete in categories such as cream based, meat based, most unique, seafood based, vegan and, of course, the democratic people’s choice. Stay tuned for a list of this year’s participating culinary experts.

Souper Bowl XII champions were Saucon Valley Country Club’s braised beef short rib, people’s choice; Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School’s smoky chicken corn chowder, best cream based; SVCC’s braised beef short rib, best meat based; BAVTS’ paella soup, best seafood; BAVTS’ chilled strawberry coconut bourbon soup, most original; and Forks Mediterranean Deli’s Mediterranean vegetarian soup, most surprising ingredient (pomegranate molasses).