A New Chapter For The Soup Peddler
Greetings from 7200 Cooper Lane, in the heart of what many in this neighborhood would call "The Real South Austin." Just about eleven years ago today, I packed up my few belongings and moved out of Lambert's on South Congress, where I had been making my fame and my soup, into my very first own kitchen at the corner of Mary St. and South First.
There wasn't much to it in those days, in retrospect. But at the time, it was a big leap of faith. I was scared but excited about the possibilities.
As the years passed, our business grew and changed, and we long ago outgrew our facility there on Mary St. But we made it work. But what was once a place of great pride became, over the course of many accumulated difficulties and limitations, a mire of frustration for both me and all my staff.
One day, along came a listing on Craigslist that said, "Commercial Kitchen Built To Suit." I jumped out of my chair, met the realtor at 7200 Cooper Lane, and negotiated a lease with the Oliver family, who own hundreds of gas stations and convenience stores. They have a business model whereby they develop, equip, and maintain facilities for proprietors to lease. In a sense, they provide these risk-takers a slice of the "American Dream," a place to own and operate a business. This location on Cooper Lane, which is utterly without retail appeal, would be different... it would be their first commissary kitchen and they needed a tenant who had an established business but needed an opportunity for a step up. And that perfectly-fitting prospect was The Soup Peddler.
Work began over a year ago, when I designed my dream kitchen with one of my favorite little pieces of free software, Google Sketchup. I worked with a phenomenal architect named Madhu Phillips, and we turned my dreams into a set of architectural and engineering prints.
Now, we are days away from moving into the finished dream kitchen. I could easily bore you to tears with minutiae about this process, but it appears, at the time of this writing, that I have survived it mentally, spiritually, and financially intact. For me, and for my long-suffering staff, when we move in, we will have died and gone to kitchen heaven.
No, the ceiling tiles and lights were not designed by Gehry or Gaudi, that's just the visual effect of my fisheye lens. In a few days, we will be ready to fire up our new 100 gallon stock kettle, our new tilting skillet, our new industrial chilling tank, and prepare for you a lovely menu of offerings for your enjoyment as detailed below.
Soupie *|MMERGE2|* *|MMERGE3|*,
Greetings from 7200 Cooper Lane, in the heart of what many in this neighborhood would call "The Real South Austin." Just about eleven years ago today, I packed up my few belongings and moved out of Lambert's on South Congress, where I had been making my fame and my soup, into my very first own kitchen at the corner of Mary St. and South First.
There wasn't much to it in those days, in retrospect. But at the time, it was a big leap of faith. I was scared but excited about the possibilities.
As the years passed, our business grew and changed, and we long ago outgrew our facility there on Mary St. But we made it work. But what was once a place of great pride became, over the course of many accumulated difficulties and limitations, a mire of frustration for both me and all my staff.
One day, along came a listing on Craigslist that said, "Commercial Kitchen Built To Suit." I jumped out of my chair, met the realtor at 7200 Cooper Lane, and negotiated a lease with the Oliver family, who own hundreds of gas stations and convenience stores. They have a business model whereby they develop, equip, and maintain facilities for proprietors to lease. In a sense, they provide these risk-takers a slice of the "American Dream," a place to own and operate a business. This location on Cooper Lane, which is utterly without retail appeal, would be different... it would be their first commissary kitchen and they needed a tenant who had an established business but needed an opportunity for a step up. And that perfectly-fitting prospect was The Soup Peddler.
Work began over a year ago, when I designed my dream kitchen with one of my favorite little pieces of free software, Google Sketchup. I worked with a phenomenal architect named Madhu Phillips, and we turned my dreams into a set of architectural and engineering prints.
Now, we are days away from moving into the finished dream kitchen. I could easily bore you to tears with minutiae about this process, but it appears, at the time of this writing, that I have survived it mentally, spiritually, and financially intact. For me, and for my long-suffering staff, when we move in, we will have died and gone to kitchen heaven.
No, the ceiling tiles and lights were not designed by Gehry or Gaudi, that's just the visual effect of my fisheye lens. In a few days, we will be ready to fire up our new 100 gallon stock kettle, our new tilting skillet, our new industrial chilling tank, and prepare for you a lovely menu of offerings for your enjoyment as detailed below.
Thank you as always for your excellent support over the years.
Please place your order for the week of 9/28 by Saturday 9/27 at 11:59 p.m
*|IF:MMERGE1>0|* You now have *|MMERGE1|* Soupie Rewards Points!
*|ELSE:|* You don't have any Soupie Rewards Points yet. Place your first order to start stocking up! *|END:IF|*
Moroccan Lentil Soup... $8.95
A hearty, healthy, lip-lickingly delicious north African lentil soup seasoned by a mysterious blend of coriander, turmeric and cumin with just a hint of cinnamon ... 32 fl oz. Vegan, gluten-free. Freezes well.... [ingredients]
New England Clam Chowder... $12.95
Traditional white chowder... tender potatoes and clams in a creamy broth. Keep your soup crackers handy... 32 fl oz. ... [ingredients]
Straight Up Vegetable Soup... $9.95
Local greens. Straight-up vegetable soup seasoned with a smidge of Old Bay... 32 fl oz. Vegan, gluten-free. Freezes well.... [ingredients]
Beef and Barley Soup... $14.95
Braised beef sirloin, pearl barley and split peas slow simmered in our own 18-hour stock made with roasted beef bones, bouquet garni, mirepoix and red wine... 32 fl oz. Freezes well.... [ingredients]
Veggie Curry with Pulao Rice... $12.95
Richly spiced coconut curry over vegetables, served with a garlic, ginger, and mint rice pulao... Feeds 2. Vegetarian, gluten-free.... [ingredients]
Spinach Feta Pie... $14.95
Sauteed spinach, onions, and garlic seasoned with oregano and a hint of fresh mint folded into feta cheese, baked in a crispy pastry crust..... Feeds 4.Vegetarian. Freezes well.... [ingredients]
Chicken Marsala with Spaghetti Squash... $14.95
Chicken breasts sauteed with mushrooms and marsala, finished with lemon and served over baked spaghetti squash... Freezes well.... [ingredients]
Meatballs & Marinara... $14.95
Hand-rolled oven-browned meatballs finished in our homemade marinara... serve over spaghetti or in a sub roll... Feeds 2. Freezes well.... [ingredients]
Yours,
David J. Ansel
Principal Soupmaker
The Soup Peddler, Inc.