Spoon & Ladle is an Alabama Maker of superb soups
Executive Chef Monty Todd has created a following for his Spoon & Ladle soups and specialty foods. (contributed)
Spoon & Ladle (Pelham)
The Maker: Executive Chef Monty Todd
None other than Ludwig von Beethoven once said, “Only the pure of heart can make good soup.”
Executive Chef Monty Todd, owner of Spoon & Ladle in Pelham, makes good soup and, while he won’t boast of a purity of heart, he will tell you that he is happier now than the 27 years he spent in corporate sales.
“I got tired of corporate life and my wife said, ‘You make the best soup in the world. Go make soup.’ I said, ‘Nobody’s going to buy soup,’” Todd said.
After pondering it for a while, Todd set up a Facebook page to sell soup just to see if there was any interest. He got three orders that first night and things gradually went from a simmer to a boil.
“I was doing home and office delivery – the worst business model ever,” Todd said. “I mean, if you ordered one quart of soup, I would drive all the way across town to deliver it to you. But it created a following.”
Spoon & Ladle is an Alabama Maker of tasty soups and spreads from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
It got Spoon & Ladle into farmers markets, and through that Todd was able to get into Western Supermarkets and then Birmingham area Piggly Wiggly stores.
In that time, Spoon & Ladle has expanded its product line from six soups to 110 recipes. In addition to soups and gumbos, Todd makes pimento cheese spreads, chicken salad, queso, guacamole and salsa.
The specialty items came about to keep employees busy while the soups cooled down for packaging.
The soups and specialty items are produced at its facility in Pelham, which also has a retail shop that sells the items for takeout or delivery.
Todd started out making his Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, which was his biggest seller. Today, his Shrimp, Crab & Andouille Gumbo has the top spot.
Up until earlier this year, Spoon & Ladle had a shop in the Pizitz Food Hall in downtown Birmingham. But the pandemic and lack of lunch business led to Spoon & Ladle not renewing the lease.
Now the company focuses on wholesale to stores and restaurants. Todd is trying to get his product into Publix Super Market stores next.
He will continue to focus on farmers markets like the Market at Pepper Place, where he has been for seven years. Spoon & Ladle will be there this Saturday, July 25, in the walk-through portion of the hybrid market.
The product: Soups and specialty dips and spreads.
Take home: A quart of Shrimp, Crab & Andouille Gumbo ($14).
2969 Pelham Parkway, Suite V, Pelham, Alabama, 35124
Curbside hours: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday
Delivery’s available Monday-Friday. Email your order to: orders@spoonandladle.com
