What makes a great soup?  Is there anything more satisfying than a good bowl of hearty soup and a piece of crusty bread on a chilly, dreary, and damp Chicago day?

To make a great soup, you need to start with a good stock, preferably made from scratch.  Then add the perfect combination of ingredients, the freshest available.  It doesn't need to be fancy.  The right amounts of seasonings and herbs to compliment, not overpower, comes next. You'll also need some time; slow cooking allows the flavors to fully develop.  Working with the right equipment is also important; good pots, sharp knives for cutting, and most importantly, "a dash of love".

Just the other day I was thinking about making some new soups to add to our rotating soup repertoire.   Click here to see the list.  Then it hit me...why don't I reach out to our customers and run a contest to see who can come up with the best soup recipe - one that we will actually run at Wildfire?  Thus was born "The Wildfire Souprise Me"  homemade soup contest!  It's your chance to stretch those creative culinary muscles and have your name on a Wildfire special soup!  

So, here are the details:

Contest Begins November 2 and runs through November 13, 2009.

Open to anyone age 18 years or older.

One entry per person.

Submit entries to Patty Ramos Chavez at wildfireparties@leye.com.  Patty will respond to all entries.

I will select the top four recipes which will be prepared for a private tasting that will include Wildfire Chefs, Managers, and Partners to select the Grand Prize.  The four finalists will be notified by email on Monday, November 16, 2009.  The Grand Prize winner will be notified on Tuesday, November 17, 2009.  The soup will be run as a special at all 8 Wildfire locations during one week in December.

And now, what you've all been waiting for, THE PRIZES!

4^th place: Lunch for 2 people, a $50.00 value (gift certificates)

3^rd place: Wildfire Steak Kit, a $110.00 value.  Includes:

4 Wildfire 10 oz. filets with horseradish and blue cheese crusts

2^nd place: Wildfire's Featured Pie for an entire year (8 pies total), a value of $160.00.  Includes:

January: Chocolate Pecan Pie

February - March: Chocolate Cream Pie

April: Strawberry Rhubarb

May - June: Door County Cherry Pie

July - August: Blueberry Peach Pie

September: Triple Berry Pie

October - December: Pumpkin Pie

Grand Prize: 2010 Wildfire Wine Dinner for 2 people, your choice, plus a bottle of a featured wine from the wine dinner vineyard, value varies based on wine dinner selected.

And of course, your soup will be named after you on our daily special card!

I look forward to seeing all of your ideas!  Best of luck to you!

From the wood-burning oven,

"Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite." ~ Auguste Escoffier