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Got soup? Blount does - January 21, 2004Providence JournalBy Gail Ciampa Providence Journal Food Editor WARREN You'll never hear Joanne Slinko say, "No soup for you!" To the contrary, this store manager makes sure there's plenty of soup for everyone at Blount Seafood's Factory Store in Warren, where four-pound soup bags are piled high in refrigerated cases. Soon, New England clam chowder, lobster bisque, and Slinko's fave, Southwest shrimp and corn, will be coming to a supermarket near you. How this shellfish processing company came to make dozens of soup varieties -- from Italian wedding to Thanksgiving-every-day soup, too -- is no fish story. Four years ago, Blount bought Cooks & Butler, a wholesale soup distributorship in Bristol run by Jens and Marie Retlev. Chef Jens Retlev joined Blount as culinary director in a perfect marriage. Retlev had the recipes; Blount had the technology for freezing the soup and shipping it to customers around the country. Those customers were restaurants who were already buying Blount's clams or other seafood products. Soon the company began offering soups in four-pound bags. All the restaurants had to do was boil the bags and they had soup. It wasn't long before New England clam chowder, good as it was, wasn't all restaurants wanted. Soon restaurants began asking for new soups, not all seafood-based, and Retlev and Blount built up quite a menu. Three years ago, they established the Factory Store across from the waterfront plant. There they would sell the same four-pound (or half-gallon) bags of soup sold to restaurants. They'd stock many of the popular soups frozen -- the chowder, beef chili with beans, Portuguese kale soup -- and boast a bargain bin. When a restaurant orders too much soup, the fresh soups are sold at reduced prices -- $3 as opposed to the usual range of prices ($6.50 for old-fashioned split pea to $15 for the Cajun-style stew). Most run in the $8-to-$10 range. The price is right when you consider the expensive ingredients -- lobster, shrimp, clams -- going into the gourmet soups. Blount president Todd Blount has zipped lips when it comes to naming his restaurant clients. Most are national or regional chains, he said, and they'd prefer to keep it to themselves that the soups come from Blount and not the chef de cuisine. They needed be defensive, said Retlev. It's all part of trends in cooking. At home and at restaurants, cooks and chefs traditionally made soup when they had a fridge full of leftovers such as carrots, celery, chicken, turkey, whatever. Neither home nor professional kitchen has all those leftovers these days, said Retlev. Processed foods fill home fridges. At restaurants, everything is packaged by portion control, with every bite accounted for on inventory lists. That makes it a chore to make soup for both amateurs and pros. That's why Retlev is worth his weight in stock, cream, beef and chicken. Today, restaurants are looking for low-carb foods including soups. With Todd Blount an Atkins diet advocate (lost 30 pounds five years ago and has been on maintenance since), he was quick to get on board, and Retlev took to the kitchen. Retlev's challenges as culinary director include research and development of new soups. Four years ago it was just him; now he has a department of five including a second chef. Retlev is also a member of the Research Chefs of America, a group that exchanges information and serves as a sort of continuing education for chefs. They'll no doubt be very interested in the line of low-carb soups that, while still in development, is pretty close to the marketplace. Look for chipotle beef, crab florentine, lobster and asparagus, and hearty vegetable, coming soon. What's the big soup attraction? "It's the best fast food there is," said Retlev. In the upcoming retail expansion, three signature soups will soon debut in grocery stores in new two-serving packaging, said Blount. The clam chowder, lobster bisque, and shrimp and roasted corn will be sold in the seafood section of your favorite grocery store. It's already in the Price Chopper stores in New York. The boiling bags make them great for home use, said Retlev. By only having to heat it in a bag, there is no chance of burning the soup by heating it in a pan and walking away for a sec. No one wants anybody crying over burnt soup. The Factory Store is at 406 Water St. and is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 to 3. Tuesday is senior-citizen discount day with 10 percent off. Call (401) 245-1800. On the Web, www.clamchowder.com about the new retail soups, and about the company at www.blountseafood.com. Article courtesy of The Providence Journal. |