Kim Ettinger
Cool As a Cuc, Wynnewood
For the past two years, Kim Ettinger has been lugging 20-quart pots of soup and ingredients back and forth from her home to a commercial kitchen she shares in Wynnewood. And her fans—affectionately known as “soupies”—can’t get enough of her hot and cold creations. Ettinger found her inspiration while working in culinary PR, representing Chabaa Thai, Yanako, Black Powder Tavern and other local eateries. On a friend’s recommendation, she started Cool As a Cuc as a side project, naming it after something her mom used to say to comfort her when she was sick.
When it comes to her ingredients, Ettinger likes to keep it local, frequenting Philadelphia’s Small World Seafood, Havertown’s Colonial Village Meat Market and the Head Nut in Ardmore. She also uses premium Greek olive oil, fresh vegetables from farmers markets and whole spices she grinds herself. Popular soups include balsamic beat, veggie farro, chicken tortilla and red lentil.
“Satisfied customers are serving my butternut squash soup at the Thanksgiving table—and one told me they want to bathe in my gazpacho,” says Ettinger. “Knowing something I’m making from scratch is bringing smiles to people’s faces is the absolute best.”
Katie Tlush
Tlush Family Farm, Plymouth Meeting
Katie Tlush’s four-bedroom colonial looks exceedingly normal, until you walk through the front door. Four years ago, Tlush created a world inside her home that rivals any premium greenhouse—one equipped with systems that deliver water and control light and temperature for optimum growing conditions. Colorful strands of edible flowers hang in one half of the garage; the other is cloaked in chilly darkness to support shelves of mushrooms. Downstairs, towers of microgreens are ready to harvest.
At this fascinating grow-to-order farm in Plymouth Meeting, the current inventory also includes shoots, radishes, arugula, purple Vienna, leeks, endive, peas and melon. Its king trumpet, maitake and oyster mushrooms are popular with local chefs, and its flowers elevate cocktails, cakes and hors d’oeuvres at some of the area’s best restaurants.
To accommodate her growing client base, Tlush hopes to add 650 square feet of growing space, and she’s set her sights on a commercial facility at some point. Tlush Family Farm services Merion Cricket Club, Overbrook Golf Club, Green Valley Country Club, Wayne’s At the Table, and a number of eateries in Conshohocken. And the next time you dine at the esteemed Jean-Georges Philadelphia, you know whom to credit for some of those lovely design elements.
Francine Covelli
Nourish Cold Pressed Juice, Kennett Square
Wholesome, fresh-grown ingredients were essential when Francine Covelli’s Italian-Irish family sat down to eat. “Gathering around the kitchen table and cooking together was a central part of family life,” she recalls. “It inspired me to start Nourish.”
For the uninitiated, cold-pressing is a method that best protects the integrity of the juice, the hydraulic action gently but thoroughly extracting the most nutrients from fruits and vegetables. It’s this slow process that prevents oxidation and preserves vitamins, minerals, live enzymes and other vital micronutrients in Covelli’s certified-organic juices, elixirs and probiotic lemonades.
To grow her operations and highlight local ingredients, Covelli is working with Christa Barfield of Farmer Jawn in West Chester. She also crafted a custom “Philly Special” juice for the Philadelphia Eagles and collaborated with Fishtown Pickle Project for a ginger pickle juice lemonade and ginger lemonade pickles. It’s also worth noting that at least 1% of Nourish’s annual revenue goes to environmental causes.
706 Wollaston Road, Kennett Square, (610) 425-2276.
Daniela De Souza
Merenda Box, Conshohocken
Fun fact: The lips in the Merenda Box logo are meant to replicate the mouth of famous Portuguese-Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Daniela de Souza debuted her quaint Conshy takeout operation this past year, recruiting eight dedicated individuals passionate about Brazilian culture and food. In her country, a “merenda” is a snack break taken between lunch and dinner. Fittingly, Merenda Box offers decadent baked goods, bags of coffee (from de Souza’s Feine Company & Coffee Roasters), and assorted international snack bags and bars.
Among the treats de Souza and her staff make on site, the signature Queijo Wafflewich stacks eggs, cheese and a choice of meat between two waffles made from Brazilian cheese bread. The quibebe is a lovely seasoned squash soup—and for a South American take on chicken croquettes, try the coxinha. Sweeter options include mini churros, a caramel custard flan and docinhos (a heavenly truffle-like sweet made with condensed milk and chocolate).
For de Souza, one of the biggest challenges has been navigating the logistics of sourcing authentic Brazilian ingredients. “The cost of imported items adds another layer of complexity,” she notes. “But it’s incredibly fulfilling to share a piece of my heritage with others and see the community embrace and celebrate it.”
801 E. Hector St., Conshohocken, (484) 243-6146.
Related: The Foodie Updates You Need Around the Main Line in October
