The Great SpudBowl™ Debut: Josephene and Hunter Make Soup Club History!
Jeff
11/10/20265 min read
Today brought great joy to Soup Club! There are now two dates in my life when history was made, and I was fortunate enough to be there for both!
The first was March 29, 1987. WrestleMania III! There I was, one of 93,173 screaming fans watching Hulk Hogan body slam the legendary Andre the Giant at the Pontiac Silverdome! It was one of the greatest moments in wrestling history, and I witnessed it firsthand! Hogan went on to defeat Andre, retain his championship belt, and continue his reign over professional wrestling for years to come. What a day!
The second? November 10, 2026. Nearly 40 years later, I witnessed something equally historic. Hunter finally delivered the SpudBowls™!
Yes, folks, after weeks of promises, excuses, prototypes, and questionable time management, the impossible finally happened! We actually got to ladle delicious soup into a potato! And not just any soup! Josephene showed up with what some are calling her best creation to date!
Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant. Hunter baked a potato. Two legendary accomplishments, separated by nearly four decades. And I was there for both!
What a time to be alive!
There's been a lot of talk about the SpudBowl™ since I invented and trademarked this culinary masterpiece a couple of months ago. The excitement really picked up when Surgeon Jenn and I made our first prototype in Ludington. And let me tell you, it was soooo good! Well, Hunter took the SpudBowl™ ball and ran it all the way to the end zone! The guy actually made 12 of them! Of course, he only brought 10 to work. Apparently, he decided to keep a couple for himself. Can't say I blame him. Turned out to be a pretty good move!
And Hunter didn't just show up with potatoes. Oh no! He brought his air fryer and was cooking these bad boys a couple at a time, right there in the office! This was a full-blown SpudBowl™ production operation – the entire office smelled of Ponderosa steak house. After all the grief we've given this guy, I have to give him some serious credit. He came through, and the results were fantastic!
Now, let's talk about Josephene! She took a page right out of the Forks Over Knives playbook of whole-food, plant-based recipes and cheffed up a wonderful Leek, Apple & Hazelnut Delight! Yes, you read that right. Leeks, apples, and hazelnuts! Not exactly your traditional chicken noodle soup, but that's what makes Soup Club so much fun. It was a well-thought-out creation with some really interesting ingredients, and Josephene should be proud of this one. Plus, I'm happy to report that she didn't use an entire bottle of oil for the broth this time! Actually no oil! Progress, folks!
So, how did this unusual soup hold up when paired with the greatest potato-based soup delivery system ever invented? Let's find out!
Soup Club Feedback:
Kevin: We're going to need a calculator for this one. Kevin gave us three different scores! A 7.5 without hot sauce, an 8.0 after adding some Harman's hot sauce, and a whopping 9.0 once the soup found its way into a SpudBowl™! Apparently, the secret to Kevin's heart is hot sauce and potatoes.
Conlan: Pretty much followed Kevin's lead, although he had a few thoughts of his own. He liked the soup base, loved the apples, but wished Josephene hadn't blended the entire thing. Yep, here we go again with the chunkage issue! This guy wants something to chew on! He awarded the soup a 7.5 with the SpudBowl™ and flat-out refused to score it without one.
Tam: Thought the soup started off a little vinegary, but once the apples kicked in, things started tasting pretty darn good! Her biggest complaint? More chunks! Seriously, Josephene, these people want chunkage! Tam gave it an 8.0 without the SpudBowl™ and bumped it up to an 8.75 with one. Another victory for the potato!
Adam: Blah, blah, blah...best soup to date…something about the SpudBowl™ being the perfect receptacle for soup. Wait, receptacle? Really, Adam? We're eating soup out of a potato, not designing a wastewater treatment facility! Anyway, he absolutely loved the whole experience and awarded it a perfect 10.0! Finally, someone who appreciates fine potato engineering!
Jeff: I thought the soup was really interesting, although the blend was a little weird. It didn't seem completely emulsified, and some of the ingredients settled to the bottom. The apple toppers could have been chopped a little smaller, or better yet, mixed right in with the cashews and hazelnuts. But those are minor details! The ingredients were fantastic, the flavor was great, and the whole thing was incredibly healthy! Even with the SpudBowl™ and nuts, we were looking at around 380 calories. A delicious, filling, whole-food, plant-based meal served in an edible bowl? Are you kidding me? That's a 10.0 all day long!
Soup Club Average: 9.05!
Campbell's Crew™
Hunter: "My SpudBowls™ made the whole soup amazing!" Well, there's a humble assessment from the man who made them! But you know what? He's not wrong! Hunter was clearly proud of his creation, and he should be. After weeks of us busting his chops, he finally delivered the goods. A perfect 10.0! I'm starting to think this guy might actually have a future in the potato business.
Felton: Well, you knew this was coming. The soup needed meat! What kind of meat? Apparently, Felton doesn't care! Chicken, beef, pork, or just throw a can of Spam in there for crying out loud! Anything with a pulse, or something that once had a pulse, would have made this guy happy. That said, he admitted the soup tasted good. He also thought the soup wasn't necessarily the best fit for a SpudBowl™, but loved the SpudBowl™ concept itself. An 8.0 for the soup and a 9.0 with the potato! Not bad for a guy who probably would have stuffed a hot dog in there if we'd let him.
Campbell's Crew™ Average: 9.5!
What a great Soup Club meeting! It was especially nice to see Josephene and Hunter working together to pull off something a little different. Josephene brought a delicious, healthy, creative soup, and Hunter finally delivered on the SpudBowl™ promise. Teamwork, folks! Who would have thought these two would be responsible for one of our most memorable Soup Club experiences?
And Hunter? The guy was so happy with himself that when the meeting ended, he grabbed his air fryer and literally skipped through the office on his way back to the IT department! I don't think I've ever seen someone so excited about baked potatoes. It was a beautiful thing. Somewhere, Mr. Potato Head is shedding a tear of joy.
We're getting into mid-fall here in Michigan, which means the holidays are right around the corner. Naturally, that creates some scheduling challenges for our beloved Soup Club. But don't worry, loyal followers! We've reviewed the schedule, consulted the calendar, and determined that we should be able to navigate the holiday season without missing any meetings. Priorities, people!
And next week? Yours truly is back in the kitchen!
I'm bringing Thanksgiving Dinner Soup! Yep, we're taking one of America's greatest meals and turning it into a bowl of soup! Surgeon Jenn and I whipped up a mega batch over the weekend, and it's sitting safely in my freezer just waiting for its big debut.
Kevin and Hunter actually got a sneak preview yesterday, and so far, we're looking at tens across the board! Of course, that was before Kevin had a chance to add hot sauce or Felton could complain about the meat situation, so we'll see how things shake out.
Stay tuned, Soup Clubbers! Thanksgiving is coming early, and we're serving it in a bowl!
