Dru Melton - The Soupbox Cookbook: Sensational Soups for Healthy Living

JAMIE TAERBAUM and
DRU MELTON, founders of the Voted the best soup in Chicago on Citysearch CHAPTER ONE
VA VA VEGETABLES CHAPTER TWO
SAUSAGE, BEEF AND BACON AND OTHER MEATY FLAVORS CHAPTER THREE
CHICKEN AND OTHER FEATHERED FRIENDS CHAPTER FOUR
CREAMY, CHEESEY OR TOMATO-Y SOUPS AND BISQUES CHAPTER FIVE
FANTASTIC FISH, SEAFOOD AND OTHER HEARTY CHOWDERS CHAPTER SIX
HEARTY STEWS AND CHILIS FROM ALL OVER THE MAP CHAPTER SEVEN
LIGHT, WARM-WEATHER SOUPS CHAPTER EIGHT
A WORD ON STOCK Ahh soup. How to describe something with so many personal meanings and interpretations? Soup is something familiar to everyone. Soup is served everywhere; from the poor fringes of society to the high-rent districts in exclusive zip codes. Everyone remembers a few choice soups from a favorite restaurant, vacation or meal at a relatives house. Soup is more than food. Its a joy. Its a joy.

Soup transports people back in time. It takes us to Grandmas kitchen, our childhood home, happy places. It fills the house with good, rich and appealing smells. Its homey, something made with love, full of flavor and the memories of the people who made it. We eat soup for special occasions, fancy meals as well as sickness or when we run out of money. From quick and simple broths to rich and time-consuming stews and chowders, soup satisfies with great flavors, transforming simple water to pure bliss.

Soup is the one-size-fits-all dish thats capable of satisfying many palates at once. So what does soup mean to me? In a word soup means Comfort. In more words it means, Home. Satisfaction. Nutritious and nurturing. It can be highbrow and low end, sometimes at the same time; glamorous or humble depending on your whim.

The right soup can brighten your day. Soup is equally at home as a first course or an entre; few other foods can lay the same claim. What other dishes have infiltrated our family vernacular so thoroughly? Grandmas Chicken Noodle. Dads (In) famous Four-alarm Chili. Uncle Bills Beef Barley. Moms Immortal Tomato Soup, served with a smile and a piping hot grilled cheese.

What pleasures! These are the memories of legend, the link to the little boy or girl we used to be. Soup means so many things to so many people for good reason. Soup brings a home cook or a professional chef easy and quick means to a satisfying end; that special moment when the spoon hits the tongue and the face brightens with a smile.

Soupbox took us all by surprise. Back when the store first opened, it was called Icebox, and we only made Icyfruit, which is sort of like Italian Ice but is all natural with fresh fruit mixed in and no artificial colors or flavors. Soup came along later as we tried to think of something we could offer that would be as unique as Icyfruit and a means to make rent during the cold, gray Chicago winter.

We talked and talked, brainstormed and argued, pouted and then talked some more. Somehow, someway, someone said, Soup. Many people claim they came up with the idea. To this day I couldnt tell you if it was Jamies mother Betty Ann or the guy from the stereo store down the street or our sales rep George who we still buy fruit and produce from to this day. And quite frankly it doesnt matter. What matters is having something that grows, breathes and ages before your eyes.

Something that we built up over time. Something that became part of the lives of the Soupboxs neighbors. To this day I remain convinced that free samples are what kept us in business. My cooking training and management skills helped. Jamies incredible knack for catching trends kept us on track. But the key was free samples.

Back when we first opened, people would walk by and laugh; tell us wed be out of business in a few months. Things changed when we started meeting those same people with a tray of hot, delicious samples; giving away our soup gave us a foothold and their allegiance; we havent looked back since! Small business is the engine that drives our country. Rarely will you see a large conglomerate company or chain coming into the marketplace with new and edgy ideas because they dont want to take risk. Being young and somewhat dumb, we didnt fear risk or failure. Instead Jamie found the storefront and financed the rehab by charging up credit cards. And it worked.

I would add that few jobs are as difficult and time consuming as owning and running your own business. At the same time, few jobs are as rewarding. Growing with and learning how to run a small business in Chicago has been one of the chief accomplishments of my life. I took over the Broadway store when I was just 23 years old. Seventeen years later weve grown, changed and learned a lot with lessons on every possible topic you can imagine: taxes and the importance of a top-notch accountant; interpersonal relationships and how much good communication skills can help; the need to treat everyone around you with love and respect; the unequivocal commitment to quality ingredients; the temerity to never cut corners; and the sheer bull stubbornness that is my refusal to fail. All of these important life lessons have come to me through Soupbox.

Blind dumb luck or just rewardsit doesnt matter; getting up tomorrow morning and getting ready for the lunch rush does. We pride ourselves in our soups, work hard to make them great and are excited to share our best recipes with our customers and anyone who loves great soup. Its a privilege for us, and we hope it will be a joy for you. Serving delicious soup is our pleasure.

I just love vegetable soups. Coming from a small Midwestern town, I didnt taste a mango until I was twelve so when I got into cooking school I desperately was looking for new and different flavors and tastes.

I experimented with all kinds of vegetables and all sorts of exotic sauces. I loved all of them, but often found myself yearning for the simple and clean tastes of a straight-forward garden vegetable soup. The flavors sparkle and the clean, clear broth is the perfect savory complement. And they are so easy to make. Its good food at its purest. To cook a great vegetable soup you need to pay careful attention to the aromatics, the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and spices.