As a special event to kick-off the indoor farmers’ market, the Cornwall Community Co-op decided to revive its soup competition, which it held for the first, and only, time four years ago. On Nov. 16, soup tasters chose Hudson Street Café’s Apple Parsnip Soup as the best. The soup’s creator is chef Billy McCallion.
Like the previous competition, restaurant owners were invited to participate by making a pot of soup using local ingredients. Those who attended the Saturday farmers’ market had the opportunity to taste a small sample of the six soups entered, and then choose an overall winner.
The soups included: butternut apple, mushroom lentil vegan, curried sweet potato low-fat, apple parsnip, and spicy black bean and sweet potato. The entrants, in no particular order, were from Tina’s Basket, Fresh, Hudson Street Café, 2 Alices Coffee Lounge, and Leo’s.
What’s surprising about McCallion’s winning entry is the soup wasn’t one he had made before. When owner Donna Hammond requested he make a soup, McCallion thought about it for a couple of minutes and the idea just came to him. The only limitation was whatever was available in the kitchen at the time.
“Asking me to make a soup is like asking someone to get the mail,” said McCallion.
Upon learning his soup had won, McCallion was very reserved in his reaction. “Cool,” he said. “I didn’t expect to win, but it was nice.”
Hammond was a little more confident. “I thought that soup was good enough to win, but you never know what people are going to like. It was really a great soup. I liked the two-dimensions of it – the first taste of parsnip and then the apples.”
The 20-year chef was reluctant to take all the credit, however.
“It’s not just me. The whole place in general comes together as one. There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team.’”
Prior to attending, and graduating, from the Culinary Art Institute, McCallion worked behind the line as a busboy.
“I thought it looked interesting,” he said of the work being done in the kitchen.
Over his career, McCallion has worked in Todd English’s Olives, Breakers in Florida, and restaurants owned by Larry Forgione. He even owned Billy’s Phillys in New Windsor, but found it hard to make any take-home money. McCallion has held every position in the kitchen including saucier, sous-chef, and chef.
Hammond said it’s likely the soup will appear on the café’s menu, but only for the fall and winter because it’s made with seasonal ingredients.
