Bergholz Volunteer Fire Department Chowder Sale in Wheatfield NY
Bergholz Fire Department
2470 Niagara Road Niagara Falls NY
(716) 731-4848
Next Sale Date: July 10, 2010 – Chowder ready at 11am.
There is a tradition I remember fondly as a child and it was getting chowder from the Fire Department. Bergholz Volunteer Fire Department Chowder sale is just one of many, but many say it is the best around. Returning to Western New York after 20 years of being gone there are some things that stand the test of time — Chicken Wings, Beef on Weck, Fish Fry on Friday, DiCamillo’s Bakery and Chowder!
Niagara County is full of Volunteer Fire and Emergency companies. It is part of the heritage here in Western New York. Ben Franklin is credit with bringing to the public’s awareness of the importance of being aware and prepared for fire. Since this Wheatfield Volunteer Fire Company relies on donations, they have to raise money to supplement their budgets. One way Bergholz Volunteer Firemen do this is via their Chowder Sales.
Neighbors stand and catch up with one another as they wait for the men to start serving out the Chowder. There is conversations and quiet anticipation. Nobody is in a hurry, everyone is happy. Today I went and got in the line for the second time since being home. Getting out of the car the smell of the chowder fills the air. It is quarter to 11 (Chowder is ready at 11 folks!) and there is already a line wrapped inside the fire station. There is a table full of containers for those that came earlier and dropped off their container so they could pick their Chowder later that day. The bake sale table has been well picked over — the good stuff already gone. But wait — it is all GOOD STUFF! My mother is with me she grabs the last brownies and joins me in line. This time I remembered to bring my own container.
Watch the slide show below to see more photos of the Bergholz Volunteer Fire Department in action!
The cost of the Chowder — $14 a gallon $7 for 2 quarts. Bring your own container or pay an extra 50 cents…
Aerial Map of the Bergholz Area in case you are not sure how to get there.
About Colleen Kulikowski, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson (716) 650-0051
Colleen Kulikowski is a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson at MJ Peterson specializing in Western New York residential homes who doesn’t follow trends; she blazes new trails and is able to recognize industry trends and implement them to her client’s best interest. Colleen has created a unique following with one of the top local internet positions in the country generating thousands of leads for her team. Real Estate is a second career for Kulikowski who’s first career was in Information Technology and Data Warehousing working for such companies as Radio City Music Hall, Nabisco Foods and as a consultant in the Financial and Insurance industries. A strong background in technology and management provides her with keen analytical and sharp negotiating skills.
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March 19, 2008 at 8:57 am[...] Bergholz Volunteer Fire Department Chowder Sale in Wheatfield NY Twitter This Twitter ID: [...]
Pete Thorne
June 2, 2008 at 10:57 pmI. too, enjoy the regional specialty of volunteer fire dept. chicken chowder since I grew up in the Nashville FD area of Wheatfield over 50 years ago. I’m looking for an authentic fireman’s chicken chowder recipe scaled down for the average family consumption. Does anyone out there have such a recipe I could try? Please help me capture a fond memory from the past. Thanks in advance.
Rosemary Coronel
September 19, 2008 at 11:22 amI am in search of the fantastic chowder that we enjoyed at the field days in Western NY…does anyone have a recipe.
Tom
December 8, 2008 at 3:25 pmI grew up in Rapids (by Lockport) and am now living in Tennessee. I remember very fondly the chowder at the Rapids Fire Hall we got when I was a kid. I expect the recipe is fairly similar – a tomato based vegetable/chicken chowder. Add me to the list of those who would love to have a recipe for this stuff. It would sure bring back some wonderful memories.
Susan Pyke
January 25, 2009 at 4:11 pmI grew up in western NY and as an adult remembering things from your youth is in part and parcel of all of us. I would love to have the chicken chowder receipe and remember those great times at the field days.
Dan McCune
January 28, 2009 at 2:14 pmToday our office cafe here in Kansas City had Manhattan Chowder on the menu and it reminded me of gowing up in Buffalo. I would have been part of the Williamsville North senior class of 1976 but I moved to Missouri in my senior year.
I shared stories with my coworkers of the Church Chowder festivals (St Mary’s Swormville, NY) we had in Buffalo. Long ago I tried to reconstruct the recipe from memory. I don’t have it here at work but I will see if I can find it and try to post it tomorrow.
One of my co-workers was ordering the soup today and since he is a vegatarian I cautioned him that there may be chicken in it because the only chowder I know always did. I was wrong, the soup had only clams, but my recipe is correct and includes chicken.
Dan McCune
January 30, 2009 at 9:30 amDan’s Spicy
Buffalo Style Clam Chowder
Ingredients
2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup (3-4 slices) bacon (or salt pork) to be used for sauté (substitute 4 tbs butter for seafood only version)
2 cups chopped celery – ½ large stalk or whole celery heart
1 cup chopped onion – 1 large onion
1 lb chicken breast – cubed
2 X10 oz. cans whole baby clams (strained – save juice). Add third can of clams if chicken is omitted or you really enjoy the clam flavor (I do).
3 large or 4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed or 3 X 15 oz. cans new potatoes drained and quartered. Using canned potatoes may loose a little flavor but speeds up the cooking time to about 1 hour. Feel free to add more potatoes if you want more filler.
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbs salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 tbs course ground pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional) or
1 tbs Frank’s Louisiana hot sauce (optional) or both (recommended)
1 tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1 tsp thyme
3 X 15 oz cans diced or whole tomatoes (cut up the whole ones)
1 X 15 oz can tomato sauce
Preparation
1. Clean and chop onions and celery, cube chicken breast in bite size pieces
2. Dice bacon (or salt port) and cook on medium heat to prepare oil for sauté. Do not drain!
3. Sauté celery, onions and chicken in bacon fat (or butter) and add Worcestershire sauce. Cook until vegetables are soft and chicken is done.
4. Cover cubed potatoes in large (8 qt – 2 gal) pot with strained clam juice and bring to a boil until sauté is complete. Add water if necessary to keep potatoes covered. Start potatoes early so they have a chance to get well cooked.
5. Add remaining ingredients to large pot and simmer for 1-2 hours or until potatoes are soft. If necessary, add water or chicken broth to achieve desired consistency. To thicken use tomato paste.
6. Some folks add 1 cup finely diced carrots, peas or lima beans to their chowder but I stop at step 5. That’s not part of the original Buffalo Style I remember.
Makes about a gallon of chowder and will feed 8-10 people (or me and a couple of my football buddies).
Here is a link to a similar but less robust (spicy) recipe: http://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/11/rec1178.html
I have reconstructed this recipe from the memories of my youth; growing up in Buffalo and enjoying the St Mary’s Chowder Festival in Stormville, NY. If anyone has an authentic recipe please share it with me: dreymac@yahoo.com.
Dan McCune
January 30, 2009 at 9:44 amDan’s Spicy
Buffalo Style Clam Chowder
Ingredients
2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup (3-4 slices) bacon (or salt pork) to be used for sauté (substitute 4 tbs butter for seafood only version)
2 cups chopped celery – ½ large stalk or whole celery heart
1 cup chopped onion – 1 large onion
1 lb chicken breast – cubed
2 X10 oz. cans whole baby clams (strained – save juice). Add third can of clams if chicken is omitted or you really enjoy the clam flavor (I do).
3 large or 4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed or 3 X 15 oz. cans new potatoes drained and quartered. Using canned potatoes may loose a little flavor but speeds up the cooking time to about 1 hour. Feel free to add more potatoes if you want more filler.
Dan McCune
January 30, 2009 at 9:45 amIngredients – Continued
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbs salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 tbs course ground pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional) or
1 tbs Frank’s Louisiana hot sauce (optional) or both (recommended)
1 tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1 tsp thyme
3 X 15 oz cans diced or whole tomatoes (cut up the whole ones)
1 X 15 oz can tomato sauce
Dan McCune
January 30, 2009 at 9:46 amPreparation
1.Clean and chop onions and celery, cube chicken breast in bite size pieces
2.Dice bacon (or salt port) and cook on medium heat to prepare oil for sauté. Do not drain!
3. Sauté celery, onions and chicken in bacon fat (or butter) and add Worcestershire sauce. Cook until vegetables are soft and chicken is done.
4.Cover cubed potatoes in large (8 qt – 2 gal) pot with strained clam juice and bring to a boil until sauté is complete. Add water if necessary to keep potatoes covered. Start potatoes early so they have a chance to get well cooked.
5.Add remaining ingredients to large pot and simmer for 1-2 hours or until potatoes are soft. If necessary, add water or chicken broth to achieve desired consistency. To thicken use tomato paste.
6.Some folks add 1 cup finely diced carrots, peas or lima beans to their chowder but I stop at step 5. That’s not part of the original Buffalo Style I remember.
Dan McCune
January 30, 2009 at 9:46 amMakes about a gallon of chowder and will feed 8-10 people (or me and a couple of my football buddies).
Here is a link to a similar but less robust (spicy) recipe: http://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/11/rec1178.html
I have reconstructed this recipe from the memories of my youth; growing up in Buffalo and enjoying the St Mary’s Chowder Festival in Stormville, NY. If anyone has an authentic recipe please share it with me: dreymac@yahoo.com.
Dan McCune
January 30, 2009 at 9:54 amMakes about a gallon of chowder and will feed 8-10 people (or me and a couple of my football buddies).
Steve J.
July 14, 2010 at 7:31 pmYou bring back such great memories of Western New York! Bergholtz by far has the best chowder of them all!
Trackbacks for this post
[...] Bergholz Volunteer Fire Department Chowder Sale in Wheatfield NY Twitter This Twitter ID: [...]
I. too, enjoy the regional specialty of volunteer fire dept. chicken chowder since I grew up in the Nashville FD area of Wheatfield over 50 years ago. I’m looking for an authentic fireman’s chicken chowder recipe scaled down for the average family consumption. Does anyone out there have such a recipe I could try? Please help me capture a fond memory from the past. Thanks in advance.
I am in search of the fantastic chowder that we enjoyed at the field days in Western NY…does anyone have a recipe.
I grew up in Rapids (by Lockport) and am now living in Tennessee. I remember very fondly the chowder at the Rapids Fire Hall we got when I was a kid. I expect the recipe is fairly similar – a tomato based vegetable/chicken chowder. Add me to the list of those who would love to have a recipe for this stuff. It would sure bring back some wonderful memories.
I grew up in western NY and as an adult remembering things from your youth is in part and parcel of all of us. I would love to have the chicken chowder receipe and remember those great times at the field days.
Today our office cafe here in Kansas City had Manhattan Chowder on the menu and it reminded me of gowing up in Buffalo. I would have been part of the Williamsville North senior class of 1976 but I moved to Missouri in my senior year.
I shared stories with my coworkers of the Church Chowder festivals (St Mary’s Swormville, NY) we had in Buffalo. Long ago I tried to reconstruct the recipe from memory. I don’t have it here at work but I will see if I can find it and try to post it tomorrow.
One of my co-workers was ordering the soup today and since he is a vegatarian I cautioned him that there may be chicken in it because the only chowder I know always did. I was wrong, the soup had only clams, but my recipe is correct and includes chicken.
Dan’s Spicy
Buffalo Style Clam Chowder
Ingredients
2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup (3-4 slices) bacon (or salt pork) to be used for sauté (substitute 4 tbs butter for seafood only version)
2 cups chopped celery – ½ large stalk or whole celery heart
1 cup chopped onion – 1 large onion
1 lb chicken breast – cubed
2 X10 oz. cans whole baby clams (strained – save juice). Add third can of clams if chicken is omitted or you really enjoy the clam flavor (I do).
3 large or 4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed or 3 X 15 oz. cans new potatoes drained and quartered. Using canned potatoes may loose a little flavor but speeds up the cooking time to about 1 hour. Feel free to add more potatoes if you want more filler.
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbs salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 tbs course ground pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional) or
1 tbs Frank’s Louisiana hot sauce (optional) or both (recommended)
1 tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1 tsp thyme
3 X 15 oz cans diced or whole tomatoes (cut up the whole ones)
1 X 15 oz can tomato sauce
Preparation
1. Clean and chop onions and celery, cube chicken breast in bite size pieces
2. Dice bacon (or salt port) and cook on medium heat to prepare oil for sauté. Do not drain!
3. Sauté celery, onions and chicken in bacon fat (or butter) and add Worcestershire sauce. Cook until vegetables are soft and chicken is done.
4. Cover cubed potatoes in large (8 qt – 2 gal) pot with strained clam juice and bring to a boil until sauté is complete. Add water if necessary to keep potatoes covered. Start potatoes early so they have a chance to get well cooked.
5. Add remaining ingredients to large pot and simmer for 1-2 hours or until potatoes are soft. If necessary, add water or chicken broth to achieve desired consistency. To thicken use tomato paste.
6. Some folks add 1 cup finely diced carrots, peas or lima beans to their chowder but I stop at step 5. That’s not part of the original Buffalo Style I remember.
Makes about a gallon of chowder and will feed 8-10 people (or me and a couple of my football buddies).
Here is a link to a similar but less robust (spicy) recipe: http://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/11/rec1178.html
I have reconstructed this recipe from the memories of my youth; growing up in Buffalo and enjoying the St Mary’s Chowder Festival in Stormville, NY. If anyone has an authentic recipe please share it with me: dreymac@yahoo.com.
Dan’s Spicy
Buffalo Style Clam Chowder
Ingredients
2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup (3-4 slices) bacon (or salt pork) to be used for sauté (substitute 4 tbs butter for seafood only version)
2 cups chopped celery – ½ large stalk or whole celery heart
1 cup chopped onion – 1 large onion
1 lb chicken breast – cubed
2 X10 oz. cans whole baby clams (strained – save juice). Add third can of clams if chicken is omitted or you really enjoy the clam flavor (I do).
3 large or 4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed or 3 X 15 oz. cans new potatoes drained and quartered. Using canned potatoes may loose a little flavor but speeds up the cooking time to about 1 hour. Feel free to add more potatoes if you want more filler.
Ingredients – Continued
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbs salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 tbs course ground pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional) or
1 tbs Frank’s Louisiana hot sauce (optional) or both (recommended)
1 tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1 tsp thyme
3 X 15 oz cans diced or whole tomatoes (cut up the whole ones)
1 X 15 oz can tomato sauce
Preparation
1.Clean and chop onions and celery, cube chicken breast in bite size pieces
2.Dice bacon (or salt port) and cook on medium heat to prepare oil for sauté. Do not drain!
3. Sauté celery, onions and chicken in bacon fat (or butter) and add Worcestershire sauce. Cook until vegetables are soft and chicken is done.
4.Cover cubed potatoes in large (8 qt – 2 gal) pot with strained clam juice and bring to a boil until sauté is complete. Add water if necessary to keep potatoes covered. Start potatoes early so they have a chance to get well cooked.
5.Add remaining ingredients to large pot and simmer for 1-2 hours or until potatoes are soft. If necessary, add water or chicken broth to achieve desired consistency. To thicken use tomato paste.
6.Some folks add 1 cup finely diced carrots, peas or lima beans to their chowder but I stop at step 5. That’s not part of the original Buffalo Style I remember.
Makes about a gallon of chowder and will feed 8-10 people (or me and a couple of my football buddies).
Here is a link to a similar but less robust (spicy) recipe: http://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/11/rec1178.html
I have reconstructed this recipe from the memories of my youth; growing up in Buffalo and enjoying the St Mary’s Chowder Festival in Stormville, NY. If anyone has an authentic recipe please share it with me: dreymac@yahoo.com.
Makes about a gallon of chowder and will feed 8-10 people (or me and a couple of my football buddies).
You bring back such great memories of Western New York! Bergholtz by far has the best chowder of them all!