DC Soup Swap 2007: What you missed!

Yesterday was (what we hope to be) the first of many annual DC Soup Swaps! After invitations went out, we ended up with about 25 people and 16 soups up on the "swapping block". As an added bonus, we also collected about 50 canned soups and goods we'll be donating to Food & Friends.

We had the privilege of holding the event at the beautiful DC Guesthouse. Not only did they have a table LONG enough to accommodate all the soup and snacks, but the four gentlemen (Randy, Ron, Mike, and Tom) who run the place are the most gracious and accommodating hosts you can imagine. When we arrived to setup, they helped us at every turn, and even had a surprise event sign made for us to hang in the window. Plus, the DC Guesthouse is such a unique, inviting, and spacious place; a much better venue than our kitchens at home, which had been put through a spin cycle this week with all our cooking and baking. Margaret made an amazing spread of food. I wish I could take more credit, but I was merely her apprentice as she churned out the quality nibbles: lemon cheesecake squares, Danish blue-stuffed dates, artichoke and sundried tomato torta, spinach samosas, chocolate-dipped strawberries, antipasto platter, vegetable crudite, and more.

Speaking of cooking, we also want to give a big thank you to Tatu for driving from Bowie, MD just to share her signature beef samosas and the BEST DANG CHAI we've ever tasted in our lives! We hope next time you'll bring some of your soup too! Randy made delicious goat cheese pastries and Cindy pitched in with her spinach balls, which were nearly depleted by night's end. She helped with admin tasks along with Laris and "master calligrapher" Leo. I guess you could say it takes a village to put on a 25-person soup swap.

We also had the good fortune of inviting Margaret's friend Heather and her fiance, photography-enthusiast Joe Foley. We are thrilled that Joe captured EXCELLENT shots of the swap. Consequently, a few of our swappers even got a little press coverage over at The DCist for the Jan. 24 photo-of-the-day. You can view a complete slideshow of Joe's swap photos as well as some of our own by clicking on each of the two picture sets below:

DC Soup Swap Slideshow Set 1
(by Joe Foley)



This is probably one of my favorite photos from the event. Above Leo loses his soup sanity and attempts to "unknowingly" break the rules and bag 6 quarts all at once! In the background, I'm evidently oblivious while Randy, Pete and Jen observe with amusement.

DC Soup Swap Slideshow Set 2
(special thanks to Laris for helping us take some of these)



Above: Everyone gathers around for the telling of the soup. Pictured (left to right): Michelle, Lou, Heather L., Joe F., Heather R., and Geoff.

If my math is right, considering we had a few folks who brought a little more or less than 6 quarts each, then combined we had 80 quarts to swap! 80 QUARTS! We really lucked out with this great mix of people. We had everyone from professional chefs to one person who bravely confessed she'd never made soup before in her life! The results were deliciously diverse, inspired, and creatively-packaged.

The Soups

1. Japanese Root Vegetable Soup
2. Squaw Hash
3. Bolivian Corn Chowder
4. Beef Stew with Poblano Peppers & Tomatillos
5. Ancho Chili Con Carne
6. Cold Curried Carrot & Coconut Milk Soup
7. Ribollita (with grated parmesan on the side)
8. Minestrone de Riccobono (with noodles on the side)
9. Black Bean Soup
10. Panang Green Pea Soup
11. Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
12. French Lentil & Chickpea Soup
13. Potato Melange
14. Kîsêlis Latvian Fruit Soup
15. Sweet Potato Chowder (2 Versions: Vegetarian + Bacon-Based, both with Manchego Fricos)
16. Thai Lemongrass Shrimp Soup (with Shrimp Chips)

Most coveted soup:
Geoff's "Ancho Chili Con Carne". And he means CARNE people! We're talking beef chuck steak and pork shoulder!

Most unique soup(s):
Katherine's "Squaw Hash" + Heather & Lou's "Ribollita" (tied). Katherine shared an interesting tale about the origin of "Squaw" Hash, while Lou revealed what he lived off of in college.

Most creatively packaged soup:
Keiko's "Japanese Root Vegetable" (close runners-up were Heather & Lou for their snazzy containers and recipe booklet as well as Pete & Jen for their poem).

Last but not least soup:
Laris' "Kîsêlis Latvian Fruit Soup". We appreciated his bravado in going the fruit soup route. People don't often think of fruit and soup together. But hey, we scored some to take home and we can't wait to try it for dessert one night!

Admittedly, we were a little nervous with this being the first official DC soup swap ever. We're not sure yet, but depending on the numbers for Portland, it could also be the largest. Anyway, we hope to work out any kinks with order and prizes next year, but the bottom line is that we had fun and we have soup. It was a totally unique experience for us and we hope all our swappers enjoyed themselves. We couldn't have done it without you.

A perfect end to the evening was a moment when I noticed Michelle, who was all bundled up and heading for the door. She said goodbye while caressing her bag of loot, exploding with containers of new soup; some made by old friends and some made by new, but all of it made just for her, it turns out.

For those of you who attended, please spread the word about National Soup Swap Day... and let us know how those new soups in your freezer turn out. We hope to feature some (if not all) of your soups at some point here on the blog, so we may be looking for a few guest writers. For those of you who didn't attend and want to next year, get a close look at your competition. It won't be easy to win. These guys are pros now.

For more coverage on our sister swaps in other cities yesterday, check out www.soupswap.com.