Photograph by HATSUE
Millions of Americans, many of them children, face hunger challenges daily, and yet nearly 40 percent of all food produced in the U.S. is wasted—and most of that winds up in landfills. It’s a conundrum that has vexed hunger-relief organizations for decades.
Walnut Hills–based nonprofit La Soupe is bridging the gap by rescuing surplus ingredients from grocery stores, wholesalers, farms, and restaurants and transforming them into delicious, chef-prepared soups and meals to feed folks facing food insecurity.
Photograph by HATSUE
Photograph by HATSUE
Bulking Up
Thanks to its small-but-mighty fleet of refrigerated box trucks and vans and a recently expanded 6,000-square-foot basement storage area with a massive walk-in refrigerator and freezer, La Soupe can accept bulk food donations—especially perishable fruits and vegetables—that many other hunger relief organizations have to turn away.
Photograph by HATSUE
Photograph by HATSUE
Help by the Truckload
Nearly every day, La Soupe staffers and volunteers make the rounds to pick up food donations at grocery stores, wholesalers, and farms. La Soupe distributes what’s immediately usable to a number of its 160-plus partner organizations (food pantries, schools/youth organizations, etc.) across the region and uses the rest as ingredients in its commissary kitchen.
Photograph by HATSUE
Photograph by HATSUE
Not Perfect, But Perfectly Useful
Fruits and vegetables that are bruised or blemished and fresh meats nearing the end of their shelf life or otherwise rejected by the commercial food industry are peeled, chopped, sliced, and diced for use in La Soupe’s gourmet recipes. Red Curry Fish Chowder or Loaded Nacho Soupe, anyone? Filling hungry stomachs while diverting food from landfills? That’s a recipe for success for the community and the planet.
Photograph by HATSUE
Photograph by HATSUE
Never Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
Hundreds of volunteers spend thousands of hours (more than 16,000 collectively in 2024) working alongside La Soupe’s professional chefs to turn surplus ingredients into soups, salads, sandwiches, and nutritionally balanced meals. Prepared foods make hunger relief efforts easier for charity partners and mealtime easier for people who lack access to kitchen equipment, have mental or physical disabilities, or are in crisis.
Photograph by HATSUE
Photograph by HATSUE
Taking Stock, Then Making Stock
Because fresh ingredient donations vary seasonally, every day is like a TV cooking show “ingredient challenge” for La Soupe chefs, and they relish the opportunity to get their creative juices flowing. Figuring out the right flavor combinations and crafting delectable dishes out of what’s readily available is no small feat, especially at such a large scale. La Soupe also has a “Bucket Brigade” program that delivers add-in ingredients to local restaurants, where chefs combine them with on-hand surplus food to make soups.
Photograph by HATSUE
Photograph by HATSUE
Open to All
La Soupe operates a small retail store at its Walnut Hills facility (915 E. McMillan St.) to sell frozen soups and meals as well as fresh grab-and-go items to the general public. While it generates only a small amount of revenue to reinvest in programs, the shop serves as a great conduit for community awareness and engagement. It’s open Monday through Friday and offers a fresh menu changing daily to maximize the use of recently donated ingredients.
Photograph by HATSUE
Taking Inspiration on the Road
La Soupe was founded in 2014 by professional chef Suzy DeYoung, who read a heartbreaking Facebook post from a teacher at Oyler School in Lower Price Hill about students going hungry on the weekends and used her restaurant’s kitchen to make meals for them. Now La Soupe’s 42 staffers are expanding their impact beyond Cincinnati, helping organizations in several other Ohio cities (Columbus, Dayton, Athens, Cleveland) and beyond (Indianapolis, Denver, Baton Rouge) replicate elements of its “Rescue, Transform, Share” model into local hunger relief.
Facebook Comments