Haddock chowder goes great with everything and supports the local fishing industry and food banks.
Small Boats, Big Taste. You have heard about our haddock chowder; now is your chance to try it, share it, and keep this great work going.
Our haddock chowder program began taking shape around this time last year and we are quickly approaching 750,000 servings dispensed, almost all of them delivered to food banks and pantries. Our goals were to keep fishermen on the water as COVID struck, and help people facing food insecurity first across Cape Cod, Massachusetts, then in almost every New England state and all the way to Delaware and Washington D.C.
We’ve also begun talking with institutions of higher learning who love our program for the delicious chowder, the great goals, and its impeccable local sources. MIT is the first university to serve to students, faculty, and staff; we see partnerships with other institutions who value building resilient coastal communities and nutritious, sustainable fare.
To help fund and continue our work with food pantries, and encourage as many of you as possible to try this wonderful chowder with haddock caught just offshore, we are making a limited amount available on July 1. Cases will be offered through local pick up only, so we’re throwing an outdoor party at our Chatham office. Stop on by for music, great food, and drink. To bring home a case or two of chowder — just in time for a July 4 celebration- click here.
Check out this gallery to see our chowder in the making and some of the places it has been.
Our chowder is made at Plenus, a family-owned and operated business, and by the end of the year we expect that close to a million servings will have rolled out the door.
Haddock caught by local fishermen is brought to Great Eastern Seafood where it is processed.
With help from Catch Together, MIT Sea Grant, and other supporters, our haddock chowder program was able to get off the ground quickly. The Greater Boston Food Bank, Cape Cod Family Pantry, St. David’s Episcopal Church’s take home meal program and many more have been giving out the chowder to a growing number of clients.
We saw this historic clipping in “Cape Days- Your Go to Cape Cod Guide.” Makes sense that Jackie Kennedy, who spent so much time on Cape Cod, would love fish chowder – with haddock chowder being her favorite. Other posts say JFK was a fan as well and he even wrote to a young girl saying it was one of his favorite meals.
Haddock chowder is easy to prepare, on the stove top or in the microwave, and is a nutritious, enjoyable meal for all ages.
We have been working closely with MIT and other institutions and colleges to serve up our haddock chowder in dining halls on a regular basis. Students, including MIT’s sustainabilty club, have been supportive.
Our partners are helping to get the word out about our program and we have been working with a talented graduate student at the University Massachusetts Boston on how to better expand the program.
Our haddock chowder program has been featured in the Boston Globe and Civil Eats, on NPR and Boston 25, and a host of other media outlets. Read and see more about the program here and here.
Enjoy!