MONEY

Meatballs and beer at Mispillion River Brewing

Scott Goss
The News Journal
Jovan Estrada of Felton samples a meatball from Cantwell's Tavern at Meatball-Con at Mispillion River Brewing in Milford.

They came from near and far to Milford, all with a single mission.

"We're here to win," said Jordan Bohall, executive chef at Bethany Blues.

The Lewes barbecue eatery was among a dozen restaurants from throughout Delaware that competed Saturday in Mispillion River Brewing's third annual Meatball-Con, the state's only culinary showdown focused solely on orbs of deliciously seasoned meat.

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This year's event offered an array of tasty morsels such as the cajun alligator meatballs served up by Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen in Newark; lamb balls in tzatziki sauce from Crooked Hammock Brewery near Lewes; and gluten-free venison with pancetta, ricotta cheese and tomato sauce from Milford's own Abbott's Grill.

The real winners were the 400 to 500 people who got to sample the free food and cast ballots for their favorites across four categories: Balls to the Wall, Sweet Ball, Traditional and Overall.

"We've been planning this for a couple of weeks now," Wilmington resident John Ambrose said. "We've been looking forward to it, just dreaming about meatballs."

Meatball-Con, short for convention, is the brainchild of Mispillion River's sales and marketing ninja Lauren Bigelow.

"We were trying to think of a concept pretty much any restaurant could participate in and had as loose as rules as possible," she said. "And I'm a meatball fanatic."

Jessica Beseecher of New Castle wears a Belle of the Meatball sash at Meatball-Con at Mispillion River Brewing in Milford.

The annual event is possibly the best known of the oddball events the 4-year-old brewery has put together over the years. In just the last six months, Mispillion has drawn large crowds to Harry Potter- and Star Wars-themed costume parties to kick off limited run brews with names such as Deathly Hallows and Vader.

The focus of Meatball-Con, however, is on food and fun for good cause. Attendance is free in exchange for a donation of canned goods to the Food Bank of Delaware, Mispillion's neighbor in the Greater Milford Business Park.

"It's a great way to get food to the Food Bank, get the community together and try all the different restaurants," said Jody Heisler of Georgetown, who attended the event with her 8-year-old daughter Sam.

For the restaurants, Meatball-Con also offers a chance to get their name out while trading in a fair amount of smack talk with their competitors.

"I love supporting our local community and local company," Bohall said. "But I wouldn't have come if I thought second place was even an option."

Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.