Barista Soup Making for "Souper Bowl"

Thanks to Baristakid’s “Ask Holly”, I recently participated in a lovely soup making event for the CWFC “Souper Bowl” and even have a
“Hot from the Kettle” video to prove it. (Thanks Melody!)

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It was snowing lightly when I arrived at Holly’s house Saturday evening, making the walkways and roads a bit slick. As I walked carefully up to her doorstep overloaded with my trusty red soup pot and a variety of ingredients, I was thankful for the lantern-lit pathway to her beautiful home. I was greeted by Holly’s husband Reggie, who showed me the way to the kitchen, which was already bustling with friends and warmed by a crackling fire. Holly welcomed me sincerely, as she prepared a delicious assortment of nibbles and bites, while Melody Kettle, always a vibrant soul, chit chatted away. I met the effervescent Debbie Galant, Baristanet’s creator, and immediately felt at home in the kitchen of someone I had just met.

Debbie and I were the soup makers that evening, since Holly and Melody made theirs earlier in the week. We were both well prepared — she had pre-roasted carrots and apples for her soup and I had pre-washed and chopped leeks for my potato leek soup. We stood side by side, tending two pots in a new kitchen, as conversation flowed around us. I lent Debbie my immersion blender, to which she took an instant liking, and jested that it would make the perfect Valentine’s gift for her sous-chef husband, who was busy chopping garlic across the room. As our soups simmered, we chatted and taste tested, offering up suggestions on what the soups needed. Holly graciously opened her cupboards, offering us cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper.

With a little of this and a lot of that, we each made several quarts of soup while growing acquainted with new and generous friends. We were brought together for a single and simple cause: to make soup for those less fortunate. Our experience cooking together for people other than ourselves created a relaxed atmosphere that would beat any cocktail party, where small talking strangers try to find a commonality. We didn’t have to look far.

Thank you to Holly and her husband Reggie for hosting a wonderful evening and my sincere thanks to the Baristanet community for supporting the Fifth Annual CWFC Souper Bowl event.