Soup for the Soul

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Members who attended the Soup for the Soul had the pleasure of learning from three all-star members of our culinary team: Executive Chef Eric Voigt, Sous Chef John Moore, and Banquet Chef Matthew Stocker. Our chefs started the evening by sharing their secrets for building a rich and flavorful chicken stock. Next, they wove in some tips for safe food handling and explained how to apply their techniques to create beef, veal, or seafood stock. The audience of experienced home cooks was fully engaged at this point and had lots of questions about making soup stock at home. After the stock was prepared and simmering, Chef Eric demonstrated how to add the ingredients needed to make our delicious GPYC Chicken Soup. As he chopped vegetables for the soup, everyone was impressed with his knife skills and promised to follow his advice on avoiding injury while using a kitchen knife. The following soup featured was Chef John’s signature Clam Chowder. (Hint: Start with a good roux!) Participants got a lesson on thickening soup and the importance of making a good roux. They also learned about types of roux as it is used for soups, gumbo, and other dishes. The final featured soup was GPYC’s summer classic, Gazpacho. Not exactly a soup for January, but definitely yummy! Everyone who attended Soup for the Soul had fun, enjoyed their taste test, and agreed it was an informative evening. They especially liked having the opportunity to spend time with our talented and friendly chefs. In addition, they received the recipes and containers of the featured soups to take home. That was an excellent ending to the experience!

The GPYC has always been a place for fun and socialization. Euchre events have been ongoing for many years, and this was another fun time. Attendance was excellent at 40 people in the Fo'csle. The atmosphere was lively, and a big screen TV was in the background for the night NFL game. Chef Eric provided great nibbles and light appetizers; of course, the drinks were on par. As has been in the past, we had people of all skill levels participate, but most importantly, everyone was there to have fun. GPYC encourages everyone and anyone to attend the next Euchre night. It is a great way to spend an evening during the colder months and enjoy a fun night with great people. May a laydown loner be in your future!