Everyone is passionately opinionated about their soups. We can argue through the night about blended soups, cold soups, greens in our soups, clear soups and, ultimately, why our favourite soup is the very best. The soups we make say we miss our moms, we want to travel, that the seasons are changing or that we are truly, deeply hungover. Soups define the stock from which we come and connect us all. In Blasta Books #5: Soup, authors and Spice Bags podcast co-hosts Blanca Valencia, Dee Laffan and Mei Chin take you on a journey around the globe from the comfort of the communities within Ireland. The soups they have collected reflect individual cultures, memories and tastes, but they are also a reflection of Irish food today and the people behind it.
About the author
Blanca Valencia is a cook, writer, speaker and podcaster. Born in Spain, she grew up in Central America and has lived and worked in the UK, China, France, Argentina, the US and now Ireland. She has a Grand Diplôme from London’s Le Cordon Bleu and an MA in Gastronomy from TU Dublin. Blanca passionately believes in diversity and education through food. || Dee Laffan is a freelance journalist and editor with over 15 years of experience in the areas of food, drink and travel. Editor-in-chief of Scoop magazine and former editor of leading Irish magazines Food&Wine, Easy Food and Yes Chef! and publishing director of the fft hospitality title, she has also written for most national newspapers over the years. Dee’s work extends to broadcasting, where she is currently co-host of the Spice Bags podcast, awarded Best Irish Food Podcast by the Irish Food Writing Awards 2021, and is a contributor on the Ireland AM morning TV show. Her business also includes digital content consultancy, working with clients from all areas of the hospitality industry to create and manage digital strategies, content and social media. Dee’s passion for Irish food has led her to many roles in the industry: chair of Slow Food Dublin, co-host of food stages at Taste of Dublin, host of the BasteCamp stage at Big Grill Festival and a judge of Blas na hÉireann (the annual National Irish Food Awards). She is a proud member of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild. When Dee isn’t nerding it up about food, she loves to indulge in her other love of films and TV shows, especially horror and sci-fi. || Mei Chin is a writer who was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, grew up in Connecticut and lived in New York City and hence likes to think of herself as a tri-state lady. She now lives in Dublin. Mei was the 2005 winner of the James Beard MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award as well as the IACP Bert Greene Journalism Award for Best Culinary Writing in 2010 and 2013. She has also taught food writing at Yale University.
