Monmouth Park is On Fire with the 7th Annual Shore Chef Crab Cake Cook-Off AUGUST 17 & 18

The promise of show-stopping crab cakes from the Garden State’s finest restaurants and caterers will woo food lovers to Monmouth Park Racetrack on August 17th and 18th for the 7th Annual Shore Chef Crab Cake Cook-Off, tempting guests with  a wide array of crab cakes, from gourmet to classic, moist and buttery to saucy and spiced, along with other seafood favorites and specialty items.

Some of New Jersey’s favorite eateries will compete for Best Crab Cake, Best of the Rest, People’s Choice and ’107.1 Delicious’ honors.  Winners from previous years, including local favorite Bahrs Landing, My Two Sons Savannah-Style Seafood from Old Bridge and Ike’s Famous Crab Cakes from Ocean City, will be dishing out their mouth-watering eats. Competition will be fierce as other returning participants Station 1 Seafood of Atlantic Highlands and Harvest Specialty of New Brunswick tempt with catfish po’boys, shrimp salad sandwiches and lobster mac and cheese.

Newcomers to the festival including Jonathan’s Harbor from Stone Harbor, Food Truck Wars favorite Bacon on Wheels and Ben’s BBQ tempt judges and guests alike with specialty dishes like blackened scallop kebabs, soft shell crab taco, and gumbo.

Visitors can cool off with cool delights from Four Boys Ice Cream or Hawaiian-style shave ice from Kona Ice, and what festival would be complete without the lure of Chip Stix fried potatoes and Wild Bill’s Olde Fashioned Soda Pop. Looking for traditional fare? Stop by Dellano’s for award-winning sausage& peppers, hot dogs, zeppoles  and funnel cakes.

On-air personalities from 107.1FM will be on site Saturday playing interactive games, live music, and sampling the crab cakes to award the “107.1 Delicious” prize to their favorite.

Seafood flavor, texture, and overall presentation will be assessed on Sunday by a panel of judges including Big Dog Pete Genovese of the Star-Ledger Munchmobile and others selected from the food, hospitality and media fields. Everyone is invited to cast their votes for People’s Choice Awards throughout the weekend and enter to win great prizes.

Stop by the World Subaru tent to see the newest Subaru models and get the latest on home improvements from Solar City, Benjamin Franklin Electric, Power Home Remodeling, Castle Window and LeafFilter. There will be plenty of crafters and artisans to browse, and of course spine-tingling thoroughbred racing to thrill all ages.

Gates open at 11:30 a.m. and Monmouth Park’s thoroughbred racing begins both Saturday and Sunday at 12:50 p.m. Festival hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Grandstand admission, which includes admission to the festival area, is just $3. Children 12 and under are always free. Food prices vary.

Monmouth Park Racetrack is located at 175 Oceanport Avenue, Oceanport, NJ, off Exit 105 of the Garden State Parkway. New Jersey Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line Monmouth Park train stop is just steps away from the festival entrance. Mark your calendar – upcoming foodie events at Monmouth Park include the BBQ & Craft Beer Fest on August 31 and September 1 and the return of food trucks for Trucktoberfest on September 28th. Visit www.monmouthpark.com or call 732-747-4449 for additional information.