It arrived in different shapes, colors and sizes, some with raisins, some without. They were all different versions of Irish soda bread on display at the Belmar Community Center for the borough’s first Irish Soda Bread Throwdown.

“I hope it doesn’t get bloody,” said Belmar resident Tom Volker of the competition.

“I am [proud of this bread], but it’s not the best I ever made. Yes, I’m very proud, it’s the second one. The first one collapsed,” lamented fellow competitor Betty McCann.

The competitors baked at home the night before the big event.

“Sticky fingers. In a skillet it went and I said, ‘God bless, however you come out, that’s the way we’re going to eat you,'” said Maria Florio, another resident of Belmar.

Florio, who is Italian, made the bread for the first time.

“You don’t have to be Irish to make Irish soda bread!” she said.

“St. Patrick’s Day is a big day here at the Jersey Shore. This is the Irish Riviera. The people who came and baked them, men and women, did a remarkable job,” said Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty.

“It kind of reminds you of home, it just brings you home,” said Aidan Rushe.

Aidan and Moya Rushe, owners of the Irish Centre in Spring Lake, grew up in Ireland. Their families enjoyed the bread for generations.

“It was a staple diet, something that could be affordably made with ingredients from the land and the farm,” said Aidan.

“I think every household in Ireland actually made it. Whether it was good or bad, it doesn’t really matter. It was their own personal bread so you get attached to anything that’s made fresh,” said Moya.

The holiday often provides an economic boost for many businesses in town, like Sweet Tease Tea Room. The café has Irish-themed afternoon teas and, of course, Irish soda bread. The owner makes hundreds of loaves throughout March for customers and local restaurants.

The recipe varies. Sweet Tease Tea Room owner Kate Walters first combines the dry ingredients for her bread: baking soda, baking powder, flour, sugar and salt. She then adds the raisins, butter, eggs and buttermilk.

“And then of course, lots of love. You have to take a lot of extra time to stir in that love,” said Walters.

Then, she scoops the dough into the shape of a shamrock. It bakes for about 20 minutes.

“It makes people smile. I love getting the phone calls, ‘when are you making it,'” she said.

Back at the Belmar Community Center, the three judges began the difficult task of tasting the different breads.

“It’s going to be kind of difficult to decide who the best one is,” said one judge, Janis Keown-Blackburn.

For Belmar’s first Irish Soda Bread Throwdown, eleven contestants signed up for the competition. As the judges deliberated, the excitement in the room escalated. The winner receives a $100 gift card to a local restaurant and the champion title.

Turns out the proclaimed champion wasn’t available to claim the prize by the end of the event. A few people received an honorable mention, including Florio.

“Well, I tell you it’s a thrill because it’s the fun of doing it,” she said.

The competitors now have an entire year to prepare for the next throwdown.