PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Comfort & Spice, a pop-up kitchen featuring gourmet soups and stews, is Toby Vann’s business du jour.

During the winter months, the jack-of-all-trades makes everything from borscht, matzah ball and miso to Czech beef goulash and Spanish bean. When the weather breaks, he peddles flowers through Mokindo Florals. 

The soup business blossomed in November, when Vann started a “residency” at Necromancer Brewing Co. in Ross. Several times a week through March – a season when food trucks are scarce – you’ll see his red, self-designed and constructed kiosk inside of the business at 2257 Babcock Blvd. 

If you’re on a liquid diet, it’s the place to be. 

He ladles out between 12 and 20 quarts a day. Check his Instagram page for updated hours and offerings. 

“Part of the soup stand is to make money and to have a job, but a lot of it is about community,” he says. “I’m more immersed in the local food culture and I’m finding like-minded people. I’m making friends by doing this.”

Vann’s soups are made with simple, wholesome ingredients that are a blend of different cuisines. There’s always one meat-based and one veggie variety that pair well with Necromancer’s unique beers. 

I had my first bowl of Comfort & Spice during the season of comfort and joy. When accompanied by one of his grilled cheese sandwiches on Five Points Artisan Bakeshop bread, it’s the kind of meal that warms the body and soul. 

During the pandemic, Vann and his husband, Michael Gates, moved from New York City to Pittsburgh to start a more analog life after decades spent working in digital marketing and start-ups.  As co-founders of Archimedes Design, they built custom bars and temporary, dome-shaped shelters used by revelers at Burning Man festivals. 

Now his little shack, the first of its kind in the city, houses hot soup.

The pallet-sized kiosk adheres to all Allegheny County Department of Health guidelines and includes two, professional-grade induction hotplates, a panini press, rice cooker, silicone countertops, shelving and a handwashing sink. The collapsible structure can fit in a truck bed and reassembled in about 30 minutes. 

Vann says it’s a good way to start a business without a big investment. 

In the mid-’80s, long before the food truck fad kicked into high gear, he entertained the idea of launching a mobile eatery to serve burritos to seafood industry workers in Alaska. But, the New York winters were already too cold for him, so he stayed put and pursued modern dance. 

His sister ran a soup kitchen in New Hampshire and his niece started a soup business when she was still in middle school to help pay for summer camp. The foodie family amassed a large collection of recipes that Vann – who didn’t attend culinary school but is a chef at heart – makes in a commissary kitchen in Sharpsburg. 

Hearty tomato paprika served with cheesy croutons, Parmesan and herbed sour cream, is a fan favorite and Vann is constantly thinking of other recipes to add to his repertoire. 

The upscale pub grub also is available in to-go containers, but folks who slurp on-site can get free second helpings.

“I like serving the soup hot and plated,” he says, adding that he spent a lot of time picking out the perfect bowls and spoons.

To Vann, the aesthetics of a meal are just as important as the flavors.