Ed Svitek’s hot water soup may not have won first prize at the Brackenridge American Legion’s second annual Soup Cookoff.

But it certainly earned the most laughs.

The American Legion member said the gag — made complete with a pot filled with steaming water and bouillon cubes — was inspired by a “Green Acres” episode where Lisa Douglas cooks the plain dish for her husband’s lunch.

“I don’t really cook,” Svitek said, laughing and sipping a beer.

The joke did earn him a “consolation prize” last year, though, he said.

Fortunately for the 50-or-so people who attended the event, hot water soup wasn’t the only fare on the menu.

Anita Glowatski, a Legion auxiliary member and a soup cook-off’s organizer, said there were 14 entries this year — not including Svitek’s hot water soup.

The event raised about $500, Glowatski said.

She said last year, the cook-off’s inaugural event, there were 25 soups. The event raised around $1,000. Due to its success, she organized a chili cook-off in the fall and the Legion’s second Soup Cookoff on Saturday.

Glowatski got the idea from visiting a Legion post in St. Mary’s with her husband.

Here’s how it works:

The Brackenridge American Legion Auxiliary Unit 226 sends flyers out to the community about the event, asking for soup chefs to donate a slow cooker-full of their ready-to-sip concoctions. The Legion then invites the public to come out and sample the soups, which are numbered. The taste-testers then have the option to vote for their favorites by dropping a number into a paper bag next to each slow cooker.

“It’s just a good thing for the auxiliary and good to get people together,” she said.

The weather for Saturday’s event wasn’t necessarily “soup weather.” The high for the sun-filled February day was 47 degrees.

But that didn’t keep from people gathering.

One of those souls included Kenneth Morran, of Plum. He had just finished slurping the last sample when a reporter approached him.

“I tried them all,” he said with a satisfied smile. The “one with the baked potato” was his favorite.

One group — Tom Simonetti, of Russellton; Amy Curry, of Sarver, and Linda Cehily, of Saxonburg — who sat together, all agreed on their favorite: “Sherried Tomato Soup.”

“You know, with all the meat options we have … this one was just hard to ignore,” Simonetti said.

Curry won the competition last year with her cauliflower cream cheddar soup.

“They were all very good. But this one,” she said, nodding suggestively while holding up an empty sampling cup that held the tomato soup. “And they gave you a little grilled cheese sandwich to go with it.”

Cehily said she wanted the recipe. Lucky for her it can be discovered online and the box accompanying this story.

The woman behind the soup, Carol Mass, of Brackenridge, happened to win the cook-off’s first prize.

“It’s from Pioneer Woman on the Food Network,” she said. “I made some one day a few years back and my husband absolutely loved it. So I make it all the time now.”

She said possibly the reason it’s so good is because of the booze.

“There’s sherry in it,” Mass said.

Saturday was the second time she competed at the Legion’s event, having submitted the same soup last year — but it didn’t place.

But now, Mass is a two-time winner. She won first prize during the Legion’s chili cook-off held in the fall. That one was flavored by alcohol, too: “Bloody Mary Chili.”

She also participated in the event with her grandchildren. She voted for a taco soup.

Other winners included Nickie Wing’s stuffed green pepper soup and Tim Blaires’ seafood bisque. Each winner received a cash prize from the Legion.

For more information on the Brackenridge American Legion’s events, visit its website at bit.ly/32n3XVd.