"Everything is Soup," Stirring the Pot & Stu's Stew with Melanie Lutz

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Melanie Lutz, author of "Everything is Soup: Sicilian Wisdom, Nourishment and Recipes for a Delicious Life."

In the book, Lutz combines her Sicilian and Jewish roots, along with her love of storytelling.

"Soup is life," author Melanie Lutz believes. "When we make a delicious soup that we can serve, we're sharing what we love and we're showing that we care."

With more than 18 seasonal soup recipes, handwritten notes, and ancestral sayings, the mixture of food memories and wisdom is as filling as it is fulfilling.

While there is clearly a huge Sicilian component to the book, Lutz also included a nod to her Jewish roots in honor of Stuart Norman Levy, a member on her Jewish side, who passed away while she was writing the book.

"His recipe … Stu's stew is a hodgepodge of everything that you love," Lutz says. "[It] supports you and is there for you … he served it up and made it just magic for anyone who sat down and, and shared a bowl with him." Get the recipe at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Melanie Lutz talks about the origin story behind "Everything is Soup" and why she loves soup so much. She also shares the meanings behind "stirring the pot," tips for becoming more at one with soup, and more.

"The vortex of a bowl of soup and the fact that we're largely made up of water … when you stir the pot, you create this alchemical experience of opening the heart," she explains. "Any soup that you put together becomes … this way that we connect through generations of the earth's elements."

Learn more at MelsLoveLand.com and grab a copy of "Everything is Soup."

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