The annual Empty Bowls event at the Burien Community Center featured more than 1300 handcrafted bowls from Moshier Community Art Center potters to benefit the Highline and White Center Food banks.

The potters teamed up with Discover Burien  and Burien Parks and Recreation for the event that also features soups made by restaurants, adult living facilities from around the area, as well as Highline Hospital.

A $20 donation let you pick out your own bowl and enjoy a wide variety of soups. Over the course of the event some 20 to 25 different soups are offered. The meal included bread, a drink and dessert.

The lunchtime and dinner event also featured a raffle/auction of beautiful handmade serving bowls and serving platters including a wine sampling and sale.

Empty Bowls was brought to Burien by Gina Kallman, Cultural Arts Supervisor for the City of Burien. The event set a new record this year raising more than $25,000 with "around 98 percent going to the food banks. It's an event that started in the 1970's on the east coast and now they are found all around the country."

With well over 1000 people in attendance the event was crowded. Kallman said that the "First year we only had 300 people and it has just grown from there."

1,103 people attended the event (the 13th year).

Soup winners were: 

Restaurant Category

1st—Azteca, Diablo Shrimp Soup

2nd—The Point Liquor and Eats—Potato and Sweet Corn Chowder

3rd--Smarty Pants Garage—Tomato Basil Soup

Non-Restaurant Category

1st—Merrill Gardens at Burien—Hungarian Mushroom Soup

2nd—Day Star Retirement Living—Chicken Chowder

3rd—Burien Nursing Rehabilitation—Black Bean Soup