A Taste of Home

Ladle Full of Love Brings Comfort, Nutrition and Connection…

An early childhood experience turned out to be a harbinger of great things to come for Kristina Pollycutt, founder of Ladle Full of Love in Whitmore. “My very first memory in life,” she says, “I remember having a crock of soup. I don’t remember what kind it was.”

What she does remember is how she felt when she ate it. “There’s love in soup,” she says. “There’s warmth in soup. There’s a comfort. But it also can be so nutritious.”

As an adult homesteading in Whitmore with a family to feed, she also found that soup could be a powerful way to pack a lot of nutrition into her meals, especially when it contained fresh, local vegetables and meats. “Soup for me for one thing was convenience,” she says, and adds, “It became a bit of a creative outlet for me. I use truly local meats and vegetables. I feel that the food feels alive.”

That was never more evident than during the pandemic, when her elderly neighbors became ill and she consistently brought them nutritious soups. “For two years straight they had my soup for breakfast every day,” she says. “They really started cheering me on to start a business.”

Not long after, the ideas started generating for her to put their prodding into action. “I wrote my business plan on a cross-country trip with my family,” she says. By the time the family returned to the North State, she worked on securing space to work in the Whitmore Community Center’s commercial kitchen, just two miles from her home.

Ladle Full of Love, now two and a half years old, offers seasonal fresh-made soups to the community at regional farmers markets and local food stores, through “soupscription” and, to some extent, via shipping.

“The bulk of my business right now is farmers markets,” says Pollycutt. “And it’s great for deep connections with customers and, of course, farmers.” She’s lovingly become known as the Soup Lady at the markets and enjoys the rapport she’s built with customers who return to her week after week.

“You’re kind of just on a flavor adventure with me,” she says of her offerings. While she tries to stay up on tried-and-true seasonal favorites, she’s also inspired by the ingredients available at any given time. “I do not claim to be the original creator,” she says of her recipes, but she does put her local spin on things. The ever-popular and comforting Sausage Kale White Bean is made with Furnari Sausage. “It’s a very hearty and flavorful soup.”

Also popular is Green Goodness, which she describes as “the soup version of a green smoothie.”  Also widely sought after is the Ginger Chicken Shiitake Bok Choy, which is broth-based and low-calorie, high-protein.

Soups are available in pint or quart-sized jars or frozen in 32-oz. heat-sealed bags. “I never wanted to use plastic, but the beauty of it is that I can offer more variety. And the bags can be put through the dishwasher and re-used.”

Response has been significant enough that Pollycutt has added family members to her crew of soup makers, going from a solo venture to a small team. “Soup is a labor of love,” she says. “It’s a lot of prep. It’s a lot of extra work. And I believe that it matters and that you can taste it.”

Those extra steps have become well worth the effort, as Pollycutt reaps the rewards of providing comforting nutrition to the community. “When I show up at the farmers markets, I feel like I’m going to see my friends for the day. They care about where their food comes from and I care about the people I’m feeding. I am really committed to buying local and organic vegetables and from grass-fed ranches,” she adds, noting that she’s passionate about being a connector of local farmers and ranchers to the community at large. She also values the creative aspect of soup-making, and the ability to provide truly nutritious foods in a convenient package.

While Ladle Full of Love is still relatively young, Pollycutt has plans for expansion fueled by her desire to get good nutrition out to as many people as possible. She’s hoping some grant applications come through for kitchen equipment that will allow her to store and prepare soups more efficiently. “I really want to expand this business,” she says. “I’d like to be represented at farmers markets across the North State.

“I just fell in love with creating meals and feeding people,” says the Soup Lady. A great deal of farmers, ranchers and nourished customers are grateful she did.• 

www.ladlefulloflove.com