When Sherry Hooper, the executive director of The Food Depot, went to pick up the Souper Bowl trophy from Jambo Café, chef Ahmed Obo was a little reluctant to give it up.

"Nobody would want to," joked Obo, whose Afro-Caribbean restaurant on Cerrillos Road won Best Savory Soup in 2010 in addition to the overall award.

But after voting ended Saturday at the 17th-annual Souper Bowl to benefit The Food Depot, Northern New Mexico's food bank, Obo took the trophy back. Jambo Café was again the favorite of the soup-sippers, taking the honors for Best Soup as well as for Best Vegetarian Soup.

"I think people like that it's different," he said of his curried black bean, sweet potato creation.

First-time Souper Bowl attendee Janet Gotkin said Obo's soup was her favorite.

"It's an excellent soup," she said as she took some from a small, plastic cup. "It's wonderfully spicy."

Gotkin admitted she might be a tad biased because Obo is her son-in-law, but emphasized that even if he weren't, she would still love the soup.

For most of the event at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, Jambo kept scoring touchdown after touchdown (restaurants were given a touchdown for every seven votes they received), and was ahead of every other restaurant by at least five touchdowns until about 1 p.m., when La Plazuela at La Fonda started giving Jambo a little competition. At one point, La Plazuela trailed Jambo by less than two touchdowns.

La Plazuela's sous chef, Javier Trujillo, said he's happy that the restaurant's oyster bisque was in the running this year, holding onto second place throughout the day.

"Last year we only got four touchdowns," Trujillo said as he ladled soup into small cups. Even though it didn't win Best Soup, La Plazuela's oyster bisque won the Best Seafood category.

The Souper Bowl is The Food Depot's biggest fundraiser. This year, 27 restaurants competed in four categories as well as for Best Soup. Approximately 1,200 people attended the event, which grossed more than $83,000 for The Food Depot's hunger-relief efforts.

Hooper said the reason for the increased support is more people are starting to find out about it.

"This is an event that builds," she said. "It's such fun and the guests get to choose the winner, so they're engaged."

In addition to helping alleviate hunger in Northern New Mexico, the event brings the community together.

Jane Anderson has been attending the event for three years, mostly because it's a good cause. She comes to "support The Food Depot, No. 1," she said, adding that another benefit is "being exposed to different (restaurants) — some of them I didn't know about — and seeing people that I know."

Obo said it's also a great opportunity for chefs to get to know one another.

"It's amazing to see the wonderful Santa Fe community," Gotkin said. "This is a very giving community."

"I think it's a great cause," Anderson said, adding that people should support the participating restaurants, which donate the soup and supply the staff to serve it. "They need to have people come to their restaurants because they're contributing to their community."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.

WINNERS

Best Soup: Jambo Café

Best Seafood Soup: La Plazuela at La Fonda, Smoky Crab Bisque

Best Cream Soup: Dinner for Two, Sherry Corn Crab Bisque

Best Vegetarian Soup: Jambo Café, Curried Black Bean Sweet Potato with Coconut Cream

Best Savory Soup: The Gold Dust Restaurant, Pasilla Pepper & Roasted Garlic with Chicken & Chorizo

Other participating restaurants: Amavi, Anasazi Restaurant; Bon Appetit at IAIA; Café Café; Café Pasqual's; The Club at Las Campanas; Flying Star Café; Flying Tortilla; Garbo's @ RainbowVision Santa Fe; La Casa Sena; Louie's Corner Café; Luminaria Restaurant at the Inn & Spa at Loretto; Osteria d'Assisi; Palacio Café; Pizza Etc; Rio Chama; Santa Fe Capitol Grill; Slurp; Steaksmith; Terra at Encantado; Turquoise Trail Bar & Grill; Whole Foods Market; and Zia Diner.