THE LA SOUPE SCOUPE

October 2021

MESSAGE FROM SUZY

What an absolutely incredible month of October La Soupe has had — and we are only halfway through it! If October is the month of preparation for winter in the Northern Hemisphere, La Soupe says, “Bring it on.”

On October 9, 2021, more than 300 guests enjoyed our first ever ALL La SOUPEd UP fundraiser, fueled by Sugarcreek and Joseph Auto Group. There are simply not enough words to give proper thanks to all of our sponsors and guests who made this memorable evening such a resounding success. The amazing food created by our Transform Team, gave a beautiful and tasty visual, highlighting what happens when food comes to our loading dock and into our kitchens.

Now let’s talk CARS! CARS! and more CARS!!! John and Julie Richardson of Sugarcreek shared part of their astounding vintage car collection for everyone to oooh and ahhh over. And with their incredibly generous hearts, raffled not one —but TWO of these cars. What a surprise for ALL, as that was NOT on the schedule! The first lucky winner was Bob Ochs, and the second was Brett Schneider of WOW Windowboxes.

I think back to our very first fundraiser where I had the privilege of being introduced to Julie Richardson. Since that first day, I knew I now had a cherished friend for life and a supporter of La Soupe — as she gives so generously of her time, talent and treasure.

Our committee of Julie Richardson, Petra Vester, Melissa Kadish, Mary Gherkin, Mimi Dyer, Cathy Swartz, and our formidable leader who expertly wrangled us — Daniel Tonozzi. Simply put, a DREAM TEAM of creative, fun, hardworking folks! We are pleased to announce, all in all, over $250,000 was raised so we can enter the cold months with a warm “financial” blanket.

I have said it before, but after the last few months I want to shout it from the rooftops! The La Soupe team, both the volunteers and staff, is simply the best team of impassioned professionals ever assembled! As we continue to grow, I wanted to support the team in ways that were simply getting more and more difficult for me to accomplish. This team deserves an operational leader who can help us grow to the next level. So….. drumroll please — for the second big announcement from La Soupe this month!   

After a long multistate search, La Soupe is proud to announce we have hired Dennis Kramer-Wine as our first ever Chief Operating Officer (COO). We interviewed so many incredible candidates, a testimony to the great name La Soupe has established in our community. Dennis spent the last decade on the original core team of five at Rhinegeist, first as Director of Distribution, and then as Director of Culture. He led their company from a team of five to a team of 300. Our team is thrilled to welcome Dennis, and please, introduce yourself to him when you volunteer or stop in for one of our soupes!

THIS MONTH’S FOREST GUMP MOMENT…

Below is a picture of my father Pierre Adrian. When he came to the U.S. after the war, it took a number of years before he could make his way back to his home in France to see family and friends. He decided to make the trip to introduce them to his soon to be wife, Joan (my mom) in a convertible pink Cadillac. This obviously created a lot of talk and stares wherever they traveled, from Rome, to Venice, to the teeny mountain roads in the Alps, Vosges, and Pyrenees. He sold the Cadillac to his best friend, Gabby Massenez of GE Massenez Distillery, famous for their Eau de Vie. When I was last in Alsace, the car was still in the garage of the restored Chateaux that Gabby also purchased and restored. Hmmm, maybe John Richardson could bring that one back over??

— Suzy

NOURISH THE ‘NATI NEWS from EMMY

This month, I would like to share a little excerpt from our Nourish culinary education curriculum. We cover all sorts of nutrition and behavior topics in our classes.

Recently, Lisa Andrews talked with our students and here is what she had to say about cravings!

What is exactly a craving? According to Webster, a craving is an intense, urgent or abnormal desire or longing. 

So what causes food cravings? Food cravings can be related to an imbalance of the hormones that regulate appetite. Certain endorphins (“feel-good hormones”) are released in response to tasty food and may impact cravings. A lack of sleep, stress, and emotions, may also affect your cravings for junk food. Studies show that cortisol (a hormone) is released during times of stress or lack of sleep and can increase cravings for sweets or junk food. Additionally, women under stress are more likely to crave (and eat) sweets than their unstressed counterparts. Emotions may cause food cravings if you’re a person that eats for comfort. Curbing cravings for sweets, fried foods, or those high in salt is important for people to prevent chronic illness. 

Here are 5 ways to curb a craving: 

1.    Pay attention to hunger vs. habit. Are you truly hungry or are you eating because it’s a certain time of day, you are with certain people, or other reasons?

2.    Stay hydrated. Dehydration may cause fatigue, leading to increased appetite or cravings.

3.    Wait it out. Experts believe cravings last between 3 ½ to 5 minutes.

4.    Get enough sleep! Aim for 7 to 8 hours per night.

5.    Think of how you physically and mentally feel after you’ve given in to your craving.

  — Emmy

FROM OUR DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR… DANIEL

ALL SOUPEd UP fueled by SugarCreek and Joseph Auto Group was a HUGE SUCCESS! More than 300 guests came together to help raise more than $250,000!  We had a wonderful time celebrating our mission. The highlight of the evening was when John Richardson picked the raffle winners, sending TWO lucky guests home –– each with a perfectly restored vehicle!  Vroom vroom!

Thank you to our Planning Event Planning Committee:

Suzy DeYoung, Suzy Dorward, Mimi Mosher Dyer, Mary Gerken, Melissa Kadish, Julie Richardson, Cathy Swartz, and Petra Vester.

MC: Kristyn Hartman  from WPCO 9 Cincinnati              

Photo credits: Randy Shepherd

WHAT’S SIMMERING?

CULINARY EDUCATION

Seven years ago, the Cincinnati Gives a Crock program was born. It was created by two creative women who understood how to listen, then take action –– two women that saw the world in a realistic but, yet deeply hopeful way. Suzy DeYoung and Carolyn Collette joined forces to answer the simple question from a group of young men, "Can you teach us how to cook?" They answered in a simple response backed by determination, "Yes, we can!"

Barriers arose when it became clear none of the students had working stoves/ovens at home. What may have felt like a hopeless situation to most became a challenge, merely a puzzle to solve. If you have not had the chance yet to get to know Suzy, she has a way of making what seems impossible into the best ride of your life. Crockpots were the solution! Carolyn stepped in and with her humble, positive, and organized mind, grew the program into an experience that has inspired nearly 400 students.

I am honored to carry on this very needed and loved curriculum. This fall we have five groups: Aiken High School, Gamble Montessori, Academy of World Languages, Milford Success Academy, and in our own cooking studio, Found Village. Our amazing program is now a collector of warriors ­­–– and it all starts with the students just as the first class did. These students inspire us and give us the energy (and boy does it take energy!) to haul equipment, and a ton of food every week! Next are the volunteers that pour love and knowledge into the students. Their attention to detail and ability to truly listen creates the safe environment we all need to try something new.  

Then the teachers come and guide the boat. And to the brains that coordinate this program! Corinna happily and persistently checks off the long list of tasks. She is the reason we can teach six classes a week!

And to our founders of Cincinnati Gives a Crock that allow our doers to do. These people, all made what seemed impossible, possible. Reminds me of what my mother read to me as a kid. “Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” – Shel Silverstein

— Kristen and Corinna

FROM OUR EXECUTIVE CHEF…. MIRANDA

Fall is definitely in the air and it’s time for some delicious comfort food! This is a great way to use up some of the smaller decorative pumpkins. Enjoy the season, and enjoy the soupe!

— Chef Miranda

ROASTED PUMPKIN BISQUE

Ingredients:

• 4-tablespoons olive oil, divided

• One 4-pound sugar pie pumpkin

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 6 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced

• 8 Granny smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered

• ½teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ⅛ teaspoon cloves

• Tiny dash of cayenne pepper 

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds (you can roast the seeds if you’d like)

2. Slice each pumpkin to make quarters. Brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut side down, onto the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes or longer or until the orange flesh is easily pierced through with a fork. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, peel the pumpkin skin off the pumpkins and discard the skin.

4. Add the pumpkin flesh, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Use your spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.

5. Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the heavy cream and maple syrup. Remove the soupe from heat and let it cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). Securely fasten the blender’s lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer the puréed soupe to a serving bowl and repeat with the remaining batches.

Adjust seasonings and serve!

SPOTLIGHT ON A RESCUE PARTNER

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT- Trader Joe’s

La Soupe rescues food from two different Trader Joe's stores –– Kenwood and their newest location in Crestview Hills, KY. La Soupe stepped in to help Trader Joe's in the past when one of their freezers had gone down, and now has formalized a partnership to receive rescues from both stores every week! Trader Joe's believes providing nourishment to our communities is central to being a neighborhood grocery store and is committed to better serve the people around them. Thank you Trader Joe's for helping make La Soupe and Greater Cincinnati a better place!

Through the longstanding Neighborhood Shares Program, Trader Joe’s stores donate 100% of products that go unsold but remain fit to be enjoyed to local food recovery agencies, seven days a week. Neighborhood Shares begins every day with dedicated Crew Members, who take great care of shared products and their delivery to local food recovery agencies. Their goal is for these important donations to be equitably distributed to a diverse group of recipients in our neighborhoods.

VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHT- Cathy Swartz

How did you first get involved with La Soupe?  

I have known about La Soupe since its inception. I was watching from Maryland as my cousin Suzy launched her dream, seven years ago.  Recently, as I began planning the next steps in my life, I decided to retire from my job in Maryland and move to Cincinnati to be part of this great work. I assisted with the construction and relocation from the 900 square foot Newtown location to our new 9,000 square foot facility in Walnut Hills.

How long have you been working with La Soupe? 

I started working at La Soupe in September of 2019. We were still in the very small location on Round Bottom Rd. I was fortunate enough to witness how the team worked in such a tight space to create unbelievable quantities of appetizing food. The team there worked like a well-oiled machine, and it has translated into our new larger space.

Why are you supporting La Soupe? 

The work that La Soupe does is not just about feeding hungry people. It is a mission to help people understand about nutrition, food waste, healthy habits, teamwork, and helping others –– it is a lifestyle and support system for our team, the volunteers, our share partners and our clients.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about (donating, volunteering, etc.)?  

DO IT !!! There is nothing better than giving of yourself to help others. The team at La Soupe is second to none. I love to be around these fantastic people.

What do you like doing in your time when you're not volunteering?

 I am a big walker. Since I am a newcomer to the city of Cincinnati, I have been able to learn about the city by walking the neighborhoods, hills, and steps. I also enjoy theatre and concerts — Cincinnati has a lot to offer.

What has surprised you most about working in the food rescue/food insecurity? 

The amount of food that currently gets "rescued" is just a drop in the bucket of all the food that is wasted along the food supply chain. But every bit helps. La Soupe continues to look for new ways to impact food insecurity in Cincinnati. I love the team's creativity within the community.

Tell me about some of the people you've met while working with La Soupe?

The folks at La Soupe are wonderful. They are committed to the work, but have fun while doing it. You feel the positive vibe in the space as soon as you step in. What I have found to be so impressive is the number of people that I have met outside of La Soupe, and once you mention it, indicate that they know, support, or volunteer at La Soupe. It is so rewarding to see the mission spread throughout the city.

What do you wish the public knew about La Soupe or the mission we support? 

We do not simply "rescue" food and hand it out. We sort everything that comes in the door. It either is good enough to go directly out to a share partner, or it is transformed into a meal or soup, the rest is either composted or used as food for farm animals or sent to the wolf sanctuary. There is consideration made all along the food cycle.