When it comes to chowder and New England, almost everyone has a favorite recipe. At the Mattapoisett Firefighter's Chowder Competition on Sunday, 16 teams tried to prove that their version was the best.

Lt. Justin Dubois came up with the idea to host the event, held at the Knights of Columbus, and didn't have a hard time convincing the rest of the Mattapoisett Firefighter's Association that it was a good idea.

"We just ran with it," said Dubois."We told everybody, if it's a chowder, you can make it."

Teams were broken up into two categories: public safety and professional.

On the public safety side, local departments, including Rochester and Marion Fire and Mattapoisett Police came out with their chowder pots. Professional teams included restaurants such as Shipyard Galley, Brew Fish and the new Stowaway.

The promise of chowder as well as hot dogs and hamburgers brought out an estimated 300 to 400 people, said Dubois.

"We didn't know what the response was going to be, but the community really came out," he said.

In addition to tasting the chowder, the folks who came to the chowder got to place its vote for the best recipe in both categories. A group of three judges – Old Rochester Regional Food Service Director Jill Henesey, Old Colony Culinary Arts Instructor John Abaray and "the big boss," Massachusetts State Fire Marshall Steve Cohen – also voted on their top three favorites from each category.

The Rochester Fire Department and The Stowaway took the people's choice awards. In the public safety division, judges gave Rochester Fire first place, followed by Rochester Facilities Department and Marion Fire. In the professional division, The Stowaway took first place with Shipyard Galley in second and Salty Dog Ranch in third.

The event also featured raffles with prizes donated by South Coast businesses.

All of the funds raised go to the Firefighter's Association, a nonprofit organization, to pay for new safety equipment, uniforms as well as to support other charities and local kids sports teams.

The success of the first chowder cook-off means there will be more to come, Dubois said.

"We had a lot of requests to make it annual," he said. "We've got big shoes to fill."