Dining at the Old Original Bookbinder’s restaurant has been a Philadelphia tradition since 1865. In the early 1970s, the company created a foods division to sell its traditional restaurant favorites, including sauces, soups and seasonings, packaged as convenient take-home products for purchase from the supermarket. Now functioning as a separate company, Bookbinder Specialties just developed a line of chef-inspired gourmet soups in premium glass jars.
All vegetable-based, with many being vegan, the line includes Cuban Black Bean, Brandywine Mushroom, Butternut Squash & Mushroom, Irish Potato Leek, Sicilian Tomato Zucchini Bisque, Sweet Burgundy Onion, Tuscan Minestrone and Zesty Tomato. Many have dual uses. For example, Sweet Burgundy Onion, which is sautéed sweet onions with burgundy wine and French brandy, can be used as an au jus for beef. The Sicilian Tomato Zucchini Bisque, a savory blend of sautéed zucchini, pureed tomatoes, red peppers, cream, onions, carrots, celery and spices, can be tossed with pasta or rice and served as a side dish. All of the soups come in 15-oz. resealable jar with a two-year shelf life.