Middle School Teacher Jasmin Stewart Wins 2nd Annual CRU Chowder Contest 

October 10, 2025 – CRU Winery in Soledad was once again the site for a tasty afternoon of sipping on great single vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, while grooving on the fabulous scenery, indulging in a well-stocked grazing table and listening to live music. 

But lest we forget, the main objective was to taste two chowders created by amateur chefs and render a verdict. 

Last year’s contest, put on by marketing director Rebecca Gilbert was a really tough one to call. How would Round 2 fare? 

This year, I joined a judging panel that included former Soledad mayor Fred Ledesma, chef Frederick Clabaugh from Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, Christy from @christyonthevine and Lauren Barisic—runner up in last year’s inaugural contest.

We were treated to Scott Donegan’s Rustic Smoked Salmon Chowder and Jasmin Stewart’s Mexi Cali Street Corn Chowder. 

Donegan is a teacher, football coach and single super Dad to two teenage boys in Madera, and is driven to create easy, fast dinners for three hungry guys after football practice. 

Stewart is a Los Angeles middle school teacher of inner city kids, many of them with special needs, like her young son. She designed a culinary program there to feed, as well as educate children about nutrition. Most of them consume empty calories for the majority of their meals. 

Her goal is to create healthy dishes using fresh ingredients, something most of them have never encountered before. The budget she receives for food is minimal, so she often dips into her own funds to make sure the kids get the healthiest possible meals and a recipe they can share with their families. We don’t pay teachers enough. 

Both chowders fulfilled their missions beautifully, and special attention was taken by both contestants to carefully pair their chowders with the proper CRU Winery Chardonnay. That, I must say, took a bit of research and a lot of noodling. 

The entertaining and energetic Donegan expertly chose the 2021 Sierra Madre Chardonnay for its tropical fruit, hint of coconut and lime, and creamy, apricot core, framed by toasty oak. The tempered acid and oak-softened texture worked well with the rustic, brothy, peppery chowder which contained simply carrots and potatoes and dill. 

He told me he bought all his ingredients at the local Save-Mart, including the honey and pepper smoked salmon, which comes from a producer in Denver. “When I make dinner, it has to be fast and good!” he shared. “The first time I made this soup my boys said, ‘Gosh, this is good!! You make stuff like this?’” 

Stewart, who was accompanied by her friend Monica, an actress originally from New York who eventually made her way to LA, stopped at a roadside stand on their way to Cannery Row to purchase fresh corn. The woman who sold them the corn had grown it and was clearly very proud of it.

“This chowder uses corn as a canvas,” Stewart explained. Finely chopped chorizo and fire-roasted poblano peppers added a bit of spice and heat, and she added cotija and queso fresco cheeses for body and flavor, as well as protein. 

She topped the dense corn chowder with Smartfood cheddar popcorn, cilantro, chopped red pepper and a wedge of lime. “I chose the 2021 Sarmento Chardonnay because it has these lovely lemon and orange flavors, and along with the lime, creates what I call the citrus trinity,” she said.

Both pairings nailed their mission. Stewart was declared the winner, for the combination of flavors and textures, although Donegan’s effort was highly prized for flavor. 

Former Mayor Ledesma drew a laugh when he said that he thought there was maybe a bit too much corn in the winning chowder and not enough body in the runner up. It’s that Goldilocks thing. 

Chef Fred Clabaugh suggested that Donegan try using a roux next time, and that Stewart should either add more liquid or go easier on the corn. 

In his defense, Donegan told me he usually mashes the potatoes up a bit, but they hadn’t cooked quickly enough and he’d forgotten a masher. I gave him extra credit for providing sliced bread and butter to accompany the chowder, which is how he serves it at home. 

MC Jonathan Velazquez, a Marina resident whom I later learned is a musician and rapper, expertly interviewed the two contestants, as well as all the judges, and gave big props to the band, Shannon and George of the Night Drivers, whose smooth and energetic vocals created a great backdrop for a warm and cloud-free day in the Salinas Valley. 

He told me that the aromas of Stewart’s chowder made his nose wrinkle in approval, as he loved all the complexity. “It’s like when people say something is really bad, but they really mean it’s really good!” 

Personally, I would have added some Chardonnay to the corn chowder, but I realize we’re talking about a recipe intended to feed kids. I must admit smoked salmon is among my least favorite foods: in fact, smoked anything doesn’t work for me, which is why smoke tainted wines are so instantly noticeable. But one does what one must, in the service of culinary progress. I was impressed with the flavors of Donegan’s soup and the harmonic way in which the wine lifted it up. 

All in all, it was an uplifting experience, as we all shared in the creativity, passion and infectious enthusiasm of two hard-working people who are clearly doing their level best to make the world a better place for everyone in their lives. Congratulations to both of them, as they are winners to applaud and appreciate. 

We need more teachers, especially more like those two.