Patricia Vecchio, owner and operator of the Sault's own Stock & Broth, has become something of a living legend.
The real-estate-agent-turned-broth-connoisseur says the popularity of her product came as a surprise.
“I had always been making bone broth at home,” Vecchio says. “Then one day I posted it on my timeline and a mom asked if she could buy some because her baby wasn’t feeling well. It all started from there.”
Vecchio explained what started as a “cute side thing” in her mind soon blossomed into a full-scale business. In summer of 2018, she eventually had to rent out commercial space to meet the demand.
“Now I have full-time staff making soups round the clock,” she says.
With over 300 litres of stock made per week and distribution that includes stores in the Sault and Sudbury, Vecchio says the trend of bone broth has caught on.
It’s all part of a greater information campaign that Vecchio says has kept the public educated and invested in its benefits. Her website, Stockandbroth.ca, breaks down the many benefits of bone broth, but she says the most convincing evidence comes from client’s testimonials,
“People notice It’s made a huge difference in their lives,” she says. “The greatest impact it can have is on your gut. Many illnesses begin with inflammation and bone broth is great at reducing that.”
So what’s the difference between ‘regular’ soup and bone broth? Essentially, the brewing length – bone broth simmers for 24 hours to extract over 52 valuable trace minerals, amino acids and protein into the liquid.
“You can really tell its done if you can pinch the bones in the broth and they are soft,” she says.
Chicken and beef bones are cooked as separate soups and rounded out with carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and ginger. Why not pork? Vecchio says she’s not sure customers would go for it. Her biggest seller is the chicken. The beef is sourced locally from Penokean Hills Farms, named after a range of hills in Algoma.
She also offers Cleanse and Healing Packages where bone broth meals are delivered to your door. Perfect, she says, for anyone experiencing IBS, leaky gut, depression, celiac, though in addition she recommends cutting out gluten.
Vecchio’s product line also includes a range of soups for sale (all $7), including Asian Chicken, Supergreen, Egg Drop, Rustic Italian Ministrone, Firey Roasted Vegetable, 30 Clove Roasted Garlic and Italian Wedding Meatball Soup. A Beef Stew goes for $12.
For those interested in learning how to make their own, Vecchio says she’s on board for teaching a class. Stay in touch on her Stock & Broth Facebook page for further details.
Vecchio doesn't have a storefront, but she delivers and is at Mill Market on Saturdays. Stock and Broth is also available at The Country Way in the Sault and at BE Better Organics and Paris Natural Foods in Sudbury.
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