Cabbage, Cold Peas, and Post-Labor Day Glory

What do we do in Michigan the day after Labor Day? Fire up the grill? Take down the flag? Nope. Soup Club, of course!

And this year, on the glorious September 2nd, the ladle fell on me. Don’t get me wrong—I love Soup Club days. Walking into the office with a little extra pep knowing there’s broth and banter at noon. Except when it’s my turn to bring the soup. That part feels like running. And by running, I mean: WTF am I doing? I don’t like this. Why is this happening?...But once it’s over? Pure satisfaction.

The saga started last Wednesday when someone tossed me a cabbage soup recipe. Then reality hit—I was going to be in Ludington fishing and biking all weekend. (Priorities.) No worries, I told myself, soup is always better two days after cooking. So, Friday: bought all the produce. Sunday: chopped like a contestant on…well…Chopped.

What came out of the pot? Honestly? I wasn’t sure I even liked it. (gulp emoji)

Still, I packed the soup in the Yeti like it was fine wine, drove it three hours home, and realized at 7 PM: no sides. No toppers. Rookie move. I hit the grocery store and panic-bought nuts and seeds. Crunchy? Safe. Then… cold peas. Yep. Cold peas on hot cabbage soup. The kind of decision where you’re not sure if the next word is “Yum” or “Yuck.”

Fast forward to this morning. Crock pot on at 6:15 AM, low and slow reheat. Tam was out (missed you, Tam!...we missed you too Barry!), but we scored a special guest: none other than soup connoisseur Jeff DiMatteo, flown in from Massachusetts. Now this meeting just got real!

Now, let’s talk ratings.

• Me? I was soup’r happy with it. 9.0 all day. Good thing too, because I’ve got 13 freezer servings waiting for me.

• Kevin (not a Brussels sprouts guy): 7.8. Called it “rustic.” Fair.

• Andy (not a peas guy): 8.5. Much better than the 5.5 I slapped on his celery fiasco last week.

• Conlan: oh yeah…8.5. Ladled a second bowl, which is basically the Soup Club equivalent of a standing ovation.

• Guest judge Jeff D: 7.2. Should’ve disqualified him for being from out of state, but I let it slide.

That gave me a tidy 8.0 average. I’ll take it, especially for cabbage soup with mystery peas.

And just when I thought we were basking in cabbage glory, here came the negativity. Some members grumbling about taking breaks, skipping holidays, blah blah blah. We average one soup every 6–7 weeks, and suddenly people are talking like we’re running a full-time restaurant. Come on, team! Soup Club isn’t just about healthy food and fun—it’s also about time management character building.

So, buck up, broth brothers and sisters. We’re in this for the long haul. The soups, the sides, the weird peas… this is our legacy.