Re-entry

Let me start by saying a HUGE THANK YOU for sticking with me through this very strange time!! I’m gonna ask you to stick with me yet again this week as I RETURN TO MARKETS!!

I’ll be at all 3 markets this week with pre-packed, ready to go, 32 oz Mason jars of soup starting Monday in Baywood. I’M MOVING TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE BAYWOOD MARKET PLEASE COME FIND ME!!

Here is the current protocol for soup acquisition:

1. You will need exact change or venmo. Jars of soup are $12.50 each. I’ll have quarters out if you need them. For the safety of my employees, I’ll be working alone and will not be able to handle paper money. Place your exact change in the seafoam green box OR venmo me and grab the soups you purchased. I’ve always been a fan of the honor system!!

2. I’m not taking any preorders cause getting all this soup packaged in time for market is just about all my brain can handle right now

3. I’ll be following all CDC guidelines for safety. I’ll be wearing a mask, gloves and glasses and I recommend you do the same. Please continue to social distance. I’ll protect you if you protect me ❤

Here’s what you will find at the soup booth this week:

Monday in Baywood (IN A NEW SPOT!!) , Thursday in Morro Bay and Friday in Cambria

1. ADZUKI BEAN AND BARLEY

2. EITHER CREAMY CAULIFLOWER OR CARROT GINGER (sourcing ingredients is challenging right now, bear with me!)

I look sooo forward to seeing you guys! And regarding jars… If you wish to return your Mason jars, I’ll buy them back thoroughly washed and WITHOUT lids for fifty cents each. I have a commercial sanitizer and can run them through but don’t have time to sanitize and dry the lids so please take them off and set your jar upside down in the “return jar box” and take fifty cents per jar off the table.

We’re all in this together

Last year, around this time, my husband and I were working through the aftermath of a severe mountian bike crash he had. We felt like our whole world had been upended. His career was in jeopardy and a the extent of the permanent damage to his body was a huge unknown. We never thought things would ever be good again.

Today we rode 35 miles through beautiful Adelaide on our gravel bicycles. We gained almost 4,000 feet of elevation and he was ahead of me for most of it. His job is secure (yes, even right now) and his injuries caused only a little permanent damage. Ultimately, he is strong and more importantly, WE are stronger.

My point is that things get better. We will become stronger humans. We will love eachother more. We will get through this. We just need a little time.

I am missing you guys something fierce right now. I’m missing the well oiled soup machine that took 13 years to build. I’m missing putting my headphones on and disappearing into soup world. But you, in your amazing ways, have continued to build me up. Your emails, phone calls, text messages and Instagram comments are literally getting me through being away from markets right now. My connection with my customers is what fuels my fire and you guys continue to stoke me along week after week. Thank you. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

So where’s the soup then? Sunshine Health Foods and Soto’s true earth markets are keeping their freezers and refrigerators stocked! Currently they have Mushroom Barley and Tuscan White Bean

I’ll be cooking for them again on Thursday and bringing them fresh 32 oz paper containers of CREAMY ROASTED CAULIFLOWER.

I look forward to seeing you in a few short weeks.

It’s time

Middle of the week soup blog!? Unprecedented! Guys, I’m going to have to put markets on hold for the next 3 weeks.

Monday, I recieved a notice from the health department that all “temporary food facility” (me and the other prepared food at the markets) permits were suspended until April 17th. I respected this action and completely agreed with it. By the following day, enough people complained to the health department that they overturned the order but I still decided to follow the original guidelines. Kirsten of Little Red Hen Bread and Alyx of Good Tides Bistro agree as well.

For those of you WONDERFUL people who have been coming for soup, you are aware that I’m having a really tough time maintaining a safe, 6ft distance between customers. Like, it’s just impossible. So, the safest course of action is to simply back away until the dust settles.

BUT I’M STILL COOKING SOUP!

Here’s where you can find soups for the next 3 weeks:

1. Sunshine Health Foods in Morro Bay

2. Soto’s True Earth Market in Cambria

Stephanieburchiel@gmail.com

I freeking love you guys and can’t wait to be back to normal protocol at markets .

Bossypants

So after I sold the Shine Cafe and before I started the soup business, I thought preschool. I’ve had 1.5 years of training in keeping people (in the past, much shorter people) spread out in lines while keeping their hands to themselves. Last week many of you got to see my skills in real time 😂 This has been a huge adjustment for all of us and I truely appreciate your trust in me, your compassion, and your amazing patience.

If you read this blog I already like you the best but all my customers are truely just an amazing representation of the goodness in the world. I ask you to continue to be amazing by helping me in communicating calmly to others if you are feeling your space is being violated. A simple “space please” or “6 feet please” is completely socially appropriate behavior and I give you permission to say it!

So you may have noticed that I’m not filling your jars from home for now. Pre-filled jars or paper containers will be available for “grab and go” on the front table. I’m not taking pre-orders (except for special exceptions…talk to me to determine if you are a special exception 😊) so there is no reason to rush the booth early, there will be plenty of soup throughout the market. Please, if you can, bring exact change with you so we can reduce our contact with paper money. ($12 paper/$12.50 jars). We will still have change but want to reduce how much sanitizer and gloves we are going through. I have every intention of bringing back the bring your own jar program once the “shelter at home” mandate is lifted.

Here’s what you will find at the soup booth this week:

Monday in Baywood,Thursday in Morro Bay and Friday in Cambria

1. TUSCAN WHITE BEAN

2. MUSHROOM BARLEY

I look forward to seeing you guys and…well shit, forget your jars I guess.

Prepared not Scared (updated)

Everything is going to be ok.

NEW PROTOCOL AT THE BOOTH AS OF THURSDAY: SOUP WILL BE AVAILABLE IN 32 OZ PAPER CONTAINERS OR NEW MASON JARS ONLY. NO BYO JARS AT THIS TIME. WE WILL HAVE AN “EXACT CHANGE” BOX WHERE YOU CAN PUT PAYMENT ($12 FOR PAPER $12.50 FOR MASON JAR). CHECKS ARE FINE. SOUP WILL BE PREFILLED AND NO SAMPLES WILL BE GIVEN. TRY YOUR BEST TO KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO GET YOU THROUGH QUICKLY. THANK YOU!

I’m just loving seeing people out in nature right now. Fresh air, rain water, trees, grasses, flowing water, crashing waves are what we need to soak in right now. I’m craving the good right now, the silver linings, the purpose of a worldwide near death experience. It’s a one day at a time kind of world right now and woah, what does mean for us? Will we finally calm down and see what is important? Will we learn how to give eachother space and respect? Will we learn to communicate better and therefore reduce conflict? Will we learn to share what we have in excess with our neighbors?

All I know is that today there will be soup.

Kendra and I are working hard to keep you and ourselves safe. We ask that you stand a respectful distance from us at market (at least 3 feet away). PLEASE DO NOT COME IN THE BOOTH! Please shop at the market being mindful of others. GIVE SPACE. And please PLEASE do not come to market if you are sick. Like seriously, no joke, don’t. I will ask you to leave.

We have a different set up right now so bear with us. I will not be taking preorders for the next two months due to the uncertainty of events like farmers markets. If you have a preorder currently, it will be honored and ready for you.

Here’s what you will find at the soup booth this week:

1. CREAMY BROCCOLI

2. MUNG BEAN WILD RICE (MONDAY IN BAYWOOD)// TANDOORI SPICED CHICKPEA AND POTATO (THURSDAY AND FRIDAY)

Sourcing ingredients is pretty challenging right now so things could change.

I look forward to seeing you guys and don’t forget your jars. And just a reminder, bring your soup up to at least a simmer (165 degrees farenheit) before eating it to ensure your safety.

7 million raindrops!

Oh my goodness you guys! It rained! Like, for reals! And its gonna rain more! So exciting. I celebrated with a non dusty mountian bike ride which was so fun that I decided to top it off with a surf. I paddled out and upon the arrival of the first set wave, immediately paddled back in…it was waaay too big for me!! I did the walk of shame back to my truck but didn’t drown so we’ll add it to the “win” column.

I know it’s been a tough week for the world with the COVID-19 threat. I wanted to let you know that my priority is your safety and my food safety techniques and qualifications are top notch. I have been trained as a food safety manager and will continue to implement my skills as always to give you a safe jar of soup. I run a top to bottom business (meaning I’m in control of every aspect of my business…including washing dishes) and will see to it that every step is taken to prevent food borne illness and cross contamination. That being said, once your soup gets home, its extra important to bring it up to a proper temperature before eating it (do this when heating up any leftovers). That temperature is 165 degrees farenheit. If you see tiny bubbles forming in the soup, you’re there or you can use a food thermometer.

Ok! Heres what you will find at the soup booth this week!

Monday in Baywood, Thursday in Morro Bay and Friday in Cambria

1. BLACK LENTIL VEGETABLE

2. GOLDEN BEET WITH QUINOA

I look forward to seeing you guys and don’t forget your jars!

27 more raindrops…UPDATED!!

For a grand total of 54 raindrops in 40 days. Not cool. Fingers crossed for a wet March but I guess some years are just dry ones! I do have to say that nature always impresses me with her resilience. We found wild Iris in full bloom in Big Sur, right where they are every year, persevering despite having to share 54 raindrops.

While the farmers are having to turn on irrigation very early this year, the produce at the markets has been abundant and delicious with this warm weather! I’m taking full advantage and making vegetable heavy soups that I usually struggle to make this time of year because of scarce ingredients.

Here’s what you will find at the soup booth this week:

Monday in Baywood, Thursday in Morro Bay and Friday in Cambria

1. LEMON HERB MINESTRONE GNOCCHI

2. RED LENTIL WITH CARMALIZED FENNEL

I look forward to seeing you guys and don’t forget your jars! Also, Brian is jet setting again and Kendra will be assisting me in Baywood, Morro Bay and Cambria ❤

Grayson (shark baby) of the Cambria farmers market. Photographed by Brian Macelvaine