MACON, Ga. — February's cold temperatures have us searching for comfort foods.
What's better than a hot bowl of soup?
If you want to try some "soup"-er soups in central Georgia, one chicken tortilla soup is making Maconites smile.
Fountain of Juice serves up homemade food daily, and has been serving Macon since 2007. Locals say their chicken tortilla soup is one of the best around - and it certainly lives up to its reputation.
It's packed with flavor - topped with avocado slices and a lime, and served with a fluffy, flakey jalapeno cornbread muffin.
Whether a cup or a bowl, the soup is a favorite at the popular North Macon lunch spot.
Owner Natasha Phillips says their customers inspire them to keep Fountain of Juice running.
"We definitely have a following, and that's why we're here. We, you know, couldn't do it without our customers, we appreciate and love them so much and it's what makes us get up everyday and keep going," she said.
She says she has always been a foodie, and she loves to make dishes that make people smile.
"We love good food, I come from a family of foodies and Italian heritage and its all about the food in Italy...and the same applies here. its the way I was brought up, and when we started Fountain of Juice we were missing this niche, you know, the healthier alternatives and all natural alternatives," said Phillips.
She said they grew from a once 500 square foot operation into a 4500 square foot empire. People clearly love the all natural approach, and folks flocked in during my time at the restaurant. The pickup line for online orders was soon out the door.
Lots of folks got soup to go, and the chicken tortilla was a popular hit.
But the chicken tortilla isn't the only thing on the menu - the restaurant serves up a variety of different options every day.
"The chicken and wild rice soup is super popular, the turkey chili - we literally have a following for that, we make it every single Friday, vegetable soup...we always run two soups in the wintertime and we have vegetable soup every day. Cream of mushroom, classic chicken and noodle, broccoli cheddar, we do it all," said Phillips.
If you want to try some of the soup selection for yourself, you can find Fountain of Juice on Forsyth road in Macon across from the Museum of Art and Sciences.
They are open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Don't forget! If you want more soup content, stay tuned each Tuesday this month for more "soup"-er soup suggestions!
You can find previous soup coverage here!