My favorite time of year is approaching. Mornings are cooler, and the night greets us with a calm, cool welcome. The leaves are beginning to change, and I can smell the essence of fall approaching. Our beloved city has much to do: the Southern Heritage Classic, the Delta, and Mid-South Fairs. Countless Festivals celebrate our diversity and love for food, music, and culture.

How will you be fueling your fall season? I’m excited to share new fall recipes and creations with each of you. What are some of your fall favorites? I personally love soups and spices that give warm aromatics.

The DNA will host our Fall Business Expo in October at the newly renovated Fogelman YMCA Downtown. We will also have a joint National Night out celebration with South Main Association on October 25, 2022. It will be held at the Memphis Farmers Market, Hub downtown. With this edition, we are allowing non-members to participate in our business expo for a fee of $75.00. Go to www.dnamemphis.org or download our app for more information on how to include your business in this amazing opportunity.

• Ingredients for potato soup 6 strips (uncooked) bacon cut into small pieces,
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter or salted (optional)
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped (about 1.5 cup/ 200g)
• 3 large garlic cloves minced ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (42g)
• 2 ½ lbs. gold potatoes peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1” (this is about 6 Large potatoes for me/1.15kg
• 4 cups chicken broth (945ml)
• 2 cups milk (475ml ⅔ cup heavy cream (155ml)
• 1 ½ teaspoon* salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder**
• ⅔ cup sour cream (160g)
• Shredded cheddar cheese, chives, and additional sour cream and bacon for topping optional

Place bacon pieces in a large Dutch Oven or soup pot over medium heat and cook until bacon is crisp and browned. Remove bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot. Add butter and chopped onion and cook over medium heat until onions are tender (3-5 minutes). Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients in the pot and stir until smooth (use a whisk if needed). Add diced potatoes to the pot along with chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder. Stir well. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes). Reduce heat to simmer and remove approximately half*** of the soup to a blender (be careful, it will be hot!) and puree until smooth (half is about 5 cups of soup, but just eyeballing the amount will be fine. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot and, add sour cream and reserved bacon pieces, stir well. Allow soup to simmer for 15 minutes before serving. Top with additional sour cream, bacon, cheddar cheese, or chives. Enjoy!