Misty gently cupped her hands around the dragon fly in my car, who traveled with us from Ojai to Topanga.

“Look we have a friend.” She said.

“The dragonfly wanted a ride to Topanga, it’s out to experience a whole new world.” I said.

She let it go, as she gently opened her hands out the window. A Dragon Fly is symbolic of breaking through illusions and bringing visions of power. We talked about our visions on the way to Ojai. Whether or not we would both move to Hawaii, and other fun ideas.

We had traveled to Ojai to see a beautiful, outdoor dance show, and we made reservations for “The Ranch House”.

To make a reservation, you need to answer a few questions. “Are you coming for business or pleasure?” and “What are your company names?” They most certainly liked our company names.

When we arrived, it resembled the “Inn of the Seventh Ray” in Topanga. It has a little bit of that vibe, and upon stepping in, I felt “The Ranch House” was just as sweet, with more focus on local organic, ingredients. They have a rose garden, a piano, and an all around comforting setting. Every flavor in the dinner was delicious, but I’ll tell you about the soup.

I have strong feelings about soup. This is one of the loveliest restaurants I’ve been to. I have mostly felt that the attention to soups in restaurants are lacking. Though, I can appreciate simplicity, especially when using fresh ingredients from farmers I know, it’s funny to me that there isn’t as much attention to soups as there are desserts. I don’t see that as a criticism. More as an overall, universal truth. It has more to do with the demand of customers and what business are catering to. Much like in super markets, where we’re seeing a tiny portion of what the earth has available to us.

I notice that, many nice restaurants have a baker. They dedicate their time to making the breads, pastries, and treats, to look and taste remarkable. Sugary treats, excite people, and it’s an incredible art. I’m more excited about dressing up a soup. It’s the healthiest thing I can imagine eating. It doesn’t seem to excite people as much as a sugary chocolate flourless cake drizzled with fresh berry sauce, but it’s so worthy of our attention. There are billions of ways to make a soup exciting, and I’ve only made about 800 of them.

If every restaurant had a Soup Sorceress, like they had a baker, the world would be really fun and healthy.

This sugar snap pea soup, tasted fresh, and nice. And with a few little magic touches on top, a crunchy pickled, sugar snap pea, with a dash of freshly cracked pink pepper, or other little crunchy bits of veggies with fresh herbs and spices……It would have been a real experience! Much like the salad was a delightful experience, bursting with various flavors.

If there’s anyone that knows how much work it takes to even just create the base of a soup with only fresh ingredients, much less creating a whole beautiful world on top of the base, it’s me! I’m merely stating my wishes and dreams in the new world, and what I aim to bless it with.

Though I can understand, why more attention is placed on the crunchy salad with fresh dressing, or the plate of salmon with duck egg sauce and farro. I still imagine the days when soups get as much attention as desserts. The Soup Sorceress in the background, with focus, imagination, and magic, creating something that lights up our hearts.

Stay Healthy Love Bugs,

~Kali