81 louisianacookin.comABIGAIL SPAHT RICKS was always interested
in traditional craft s such as quilting, canning, and
preserving—a passion instilled in by her grandmother
and her mother, Gaye Spaht.
“Th e three of us spent so much of our free time
doing our thing together, whether that was baking or
cooking or something else,” says Abigail.
Abigail honed those skills throughout her childhood
and college at Louisiana State University, where she
perfected a pickle recipe of her own. Her passion oft en
stirred others to tell her she was born with an old soul, a
phrase that later served as the inspiration when Abigail
and Gaye launched Old Soul Pickles and Preserves,
almost by accident.
At the time, Abigail was working
for a hospital that held an employee
fair. She and her mother spent several
weeks ahead of time staying up late
to prepare a variety of pickles and
preserves they had been making
together for years. During the craft
fair, Abigail and Gaye sold out of
everything and then fi lled a list of
backorders totaling $2,500. Soon,
Abigail was selling pickles out of her
offi ce at the hospital and at farmers’
markets with her mother on the
weekends in addition to earning honors
in various contests along the way.
In 2013, Abigail learned that her
alma mater was launching its own
food business incubator through the
LSU AgCenter, and she decided to
apply. Old Soul was accepted, makingit one of the fi rst tenants of the program. Th e move,
Abigail says, turned their hobby into a business and
turned a mother and daughter into business partners.
“[Th e food incubator] helped us navigate diffi cult
business decisions, which can be challenging for a small
business owner,” says Abigail. “Plus, it’s fun to work with
my mom. We have complementary strengths, and we
fi gured out how to be compatible business partners and
also just be mother and daughter at the end of the day.”
Being part of the food incubator helped Old Soul
fi nd a home in stores across Louisiana and the Gulf
Coast, namely Whole Foods, Rouses, and Piggly
Wiggly. Th eir products are also available at local shops
in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and
New Orleans. In addition to their
signature Spicy Dilly Dills, Old Soul
off ers Pickled Zucchini and Squash,
a pickle medley, pickled beets,
chocolate sauce, Habanero Apricot
Jam , and Ms. Gaye’s Salted Caramel.
Despite all of Old Soul’s growth,
Abigail and Gaye still work to remain
true to their roots, sourcing their
ingredients as locally as possible.
Th ey work with several Louisiana-
based produce companies, continue
to create Old Soul products at the
AgCenter Food Incubator, and
partner with a local distributor.
“We want to work with the
local community as much as we can
because we want to be something
that is committed to our region of
the country,” says Abigail.LOCAL PANTRY
PRESERVED
WELL
by samantha moats | recipe development and food styling by anita simpson spainWHERE^ TO^ FIND^ ITIN LOUISIANA
Whole Foods
Rouses
Piggly WigglyONLINE
oldsoulpickles.com