Wagu stew from Upland Brewing Co., avgolemono from Topo’s 403, roasted cushaw squash from Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, chicken and vegetable from C3 Bar, Indiana beer cheese from the Tudor Room, Portuguese caldo verde with goat cheese gnocchi from Laughing Planet Cafe, spicy African peanut from Function Brewing, autumn roasted vegetable from Sahara Mart and potato leek from Lennie’s made appearances.
“We encourage (chefs) to include local produce,” said Katie Lay, an organizer of the event. “A lot of them already work with local farmers.”
Lay began coordinating with chefs in September. She said she felt relaxed — the tasting was much easier than October’s apple tasting, which involved cold temperatures, pesky wind and lots of chopping. The market provided cups, spoons, napkins and crackers, and the chefs brought five to eight gallons of a soup of their choice.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better day,” Lay said.
Brittan Blackwell, who has been working at the Sahara Mart deli for several weeks, made the soup. He said it included turnips, carrots, onions, potatoes and leeks.
“I think it’s a very good choice,” he said, “(but) I think any soup is good for this particular day.”
Almost as quickly as Blackwell could fill a cup with the thick orange soup and sprinkle a green garnish on it, it was snatched away by a market-goer. He said he didn’t think he brought enough.
Cindy Kapsa of Jacksonville, Illinois, came to the tasting with her husband and another couple. They were in town for the weekend for the IU vs. Iowa football game and Kapsa said she was thrilled the two events coincided.
“Love soup. Absolutely love soup,” she said. “I’ve tried everything. And they are delicious.”
Kapsa said her favorites were C3’s chicken and vegetable soup and Lennie’s potato leek soup.
“This is super,” she said, of the vegetable and chicken, wishing for a tub of her own to take home. She loves to cook and has a soup for every season — chilled cucumber in the summer, tortellini in the fall and winter — she said.
Kapsa said they always stop at the market when they’re in Bloomington.
“My husband, he loves this farmers market. It’s his favorite thing,” she said. “Every time we come here, we go to the farmers’ market and my husband usually buys a truckload of fruits and vegetables, no matter what the season is.”
Her only complaint: she couldn’t take the soups home with her.
