The Soup Peddler

David Ansel

I have sinned. For many years, I have coveted my neighbors FFS.  FFS stands for Form Fill Sealer. It forms, then fills, then seals bags for soups and sauces, so that they can be rapidly chilled instead of being pasteurized, pH-adjusted, or otherwise chemically preserved. FFSs work behind the scenes at many of your finer food production facilities around the country. I first fell in love with a FFS when visiting a Northern California facility which prepares the soups for most of the… (truncated)

David Ansel

Hemp milk is a delightful, nutrient-rich beverage made from ground hemp seeds. Sadly the hemp milk-based smoothie is not going to be a good source of mind-expanding chemical compounds.

David Ansel · Ramblings

David Ansel · Uncategorized

Dear Soupies, It’s been quite a while since I’ve written one of these. Some of you may have been reading along so many years ago, when I wordily begged your pardon for retiring the old reusable soup buckets, for expanding my delivery fleet to include trucks, for expanding my menu to include things other than soup. This time I will be begging your pardon for my decision to finally bring an end our delivery service. The Soup Peddler delivery service has been chugging along in its vari… (truncated)

David Ansel · Press

Read the interview and see the recipe at The Gannet.

David Ansel · Ramblings

As many of you are aware, since about 2006 I have annually spent the week prior to SXSW music festival perusing the music listings in order to compile my review of the year's band names and award a "Best Band Name" award to the most deserving aspiring rock stars. I know you join me in feeling that the years blend together in a blurry sort of montage. When I first started writing about SXSW, I was charmed by it. It was a very accessible event for me and a neighborhood wonder... I cou… (truncated)

David Ansel · Community

I celebrated the 13th anniversary of The Soup Peddler's First Ride last week. It's an easy date to remember because it's also my daughter's birthday. Mia (@minipeddler) gets to ride between Daddy and the soup on this super-stretch rig. On the way home from school, we dropped off some soup to the residents at Barton Hills Assisted Living... early reports are that it was well-received and appreciated. Pedaling the soup really did take me back to those precious days of innocence so Mia… (truncated)

David Ansel · Press

BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD, FRI., JAN. 30, 2015 David Ansel is happier than he's ever been and every bit as proud as any father of twins could possibly be. However, the twins he's excited about aren't actual babies. In the fall of 2014, Ansel added two very important components to his 13-year-old soup business – a full-fledged commissary kitchen and a sleek new retail store with both counter service for folks who would like to eat in, as well as food to grab and go. He likens the experienc… (truncated)

David Ansel · Press · Ramblings

BY CITYGRAM AUSTIN MAGAZINE, PEOPLE FEBRUARY 2, 2015 WORDS TO LIVE BY: DAVID ANSEL     “Well you’re in your little room and you’re working on something good but if it’s really good you’re going to need a bigger room and when you’re in the bigger room you might not know what to do you might have to think of how you got started sitting in your little room (la la la la la la la etc.) “Little Room” by The White Stripes       Soon after I began The Soup Peddler, I was cooking my soups af… (truncated)

David Ansel · Ramblings

Terroir is as important with wine grapes as it is with nuts. With its varied geological influences, Austin pecans can vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood, so choice of appellation is important. We believe that single-sourced pecans is the only way to go. You have your Zilker pecans, more of a pronounced buttery nose, whereas your Bouldin pecans tend towards the heady and lean, with a touch of cedar on the back of the tongue. Oaky, silky, more supple pecans are generally th… (truncated)

David Ansel · Uncategorized

As you may know, we've been in the midst of upgrading lots of things here at Soup Peddler Central... new kitchen, new kettles, new systems, lots and lots of blessed newness. Not that the old was so bad! I don't want to cast a pall on things in the past and belie a lack of gratitude for those. Nor people of the past... however, one of the greatest upgrades we've made was our recent chef hire of Ari Dvorin, such a nice boy. You knew it would come to this... I have hired my doppelgange… (truncated)

David Ansel · Uncategorized

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 possibi… (truncated)

David Ansel · Uncategorized

It was a very, very hot summer, late in the last millenium, when I arrived in Austin. Like so many who came before me, I found my way here in pursuit of an ill-fated relationship. Was just a boy, twenty-five years old, halfway across the country from my home. I landed in the fantastic clocktower house on Mary street, just up the hill from our soon-to-be old kitchen. The first night I was here, my roommate took me to see Don Walser at Jovita's. Austin, Texas. Well, that ill-fated rel… (truncated)

David Ansel · Business

A lot has been written about “product” and I’m afraid I may not have any great wisdom to share on the matter. I have a point of view shaped by my particular experience and observations, but I certainly am not a scholar on the subject. The main challenge with The Soup Peddler, in terms of product, has been the seasonality of my core offering. Let’s be honest, unless you work in an over-air-conditioned office, you probably don’t think too much about soup for much of the year. While th… (truncated)

David Ansel · Ramblings

Last week, I ran across an interesting article in the Times called "Hello, Stranger" about the value of casual social interactions. It describes how a few behavioral science experiments have proven what Austinites have long known, that being open and kind without provocation is the key to happiness. It's what noted restaurateur and rub board player Danny Roy Young (z"l) had paraphrased on the front door of his Texicalli Grill on East Oltorf... "Just Be Nice". I remember that Mr. You… (truncated)

David Ansel · Uncategorized

Growth in Austin has its costs for all of us. The pace of life has accelerated to the point where we are all challenged to evolve in order to stay afloat, both emotionally and financially. Businesses, like mine, are forced to create strategies to help pay increasing rents and payrolls. We need to diversify, to use our core competencies to find and service the next big opportunity. In our view, the only thing that can keep pace with Austin's growth is Austinites' disenchantment with… (truncated)