Living in the South encompasses a longstanding tradition of preparing and sharing home-cooked meals. Charleston is undeniably home to some of the best food the country has to offer, but nothing captures the heartwarming essence of a slow-cooked stovetop meal.
Charleston native and aspiring chef, Catherine Latto, recalls memories growing up with her mom’s cooking.
“My mom always cooked every Sunday,” she told Charleston City Paper. “She would make a spaghetti sauce, a chili or something that’s just simmering the whole day, and we would just go by and scoop a spoon and taste it. I feel like it’s something very comforting to be able to do.”
Once living on her own, Latto realized on her days off, she didn’t have any recipes to cook for herself.
“Three years ago, it was starting to get cold outside, and I didn’t really have any soup recipes,” she said.
Her mom cooked meals off the top of her head — no recipes required. So Latto needed to find recipes of her own.
“I started looking up a bunch of recipes, asking people what their favorite soup was and just started to make a bunch so I could find what could be my go-to signature soup that I could make on any occasion,” she said.
On her journey for the perfect soup, Latto turned soup-making into a Sunday tradition.
A leisurely Sunday ritual
For Latto, cooking soup served as an outlet to create a cozy atmosphere at home, filling the space with the delicious smells that ensue from it.
“I really liked spending my Sundays making soup, cutting up the ingredients, going to the grocery store, looking up different recipes and tweaking them all into my own,” she said.
While cooking her soup, Latto said she leaves the pot simmering on the stove, just as her mom does, continuously tasting and adding in ingredients along the way.
“I thought it was a really fun activity to do, to kind of reset while you are cleaning your house, watching a good movie or show. It feels like you are getting your life together.”
She enjoyed it so much that she created an Instagram account called “Catty Soups,” dedicated to her Sundays spent cooking.
She noticed a lot of people began commenting wishing to try her soup. But usually, Latto said, there’s not much left to share. This sparked her desire to extend the comforting warmth of that initial spoonful to others.
“Last year, I talked to John Kenney, the owner of The Royal American, and said we should do a Catty Soup collab,” Latto said. “I wasn’t super serious, but he said, ‘No seriously, message me this fall. Let’s do that.’
“I was like, well, I guess this is the next big thing to be able to share my recipes and finally let people have a taste,” Latto said.
She held her first pop-up at The Royal American in November. She sold out within the first hour and a half.
“That was probably the craziest day. I was not expecting a lot of people to come,” Latto said. “It was a really fun event. I’m excited for the next one.”
She said the first event was a big operation, and she’s thankful for everyone who helped make it a success.
Latto will have more recipes to share with fellow soup lovers during her second pop-up at Royal American from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 4.
Plan to come early, but don’t panic if you can’t make it — Latto has exciting intentions to continue bringing the warm-touch of her soup to the community.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
