A Story of Growth and Transformation from La Soupe's Chief Culinary and Operating Officer

By Miranda Maszk, Chief Culinary and Operations Officer

La Soupe ‘s Nourish Cef, Eddie, creates a meal with the combi Oven in the kitchen in walnut hills.

Miranda Maszk, Chief Culinary and Operations Officer

For more than 30 years, I’ve worked in many facets of the culinary industry, but none have been as rewarding as being a part of Team La Soupe. I've spent most of my career in country clubs and private catering, and have worked for businesses and industry dining, corporate restaurants, and small staples. My journey with this organization began as a volunteer participating in the Bucket Brigade program and getting other kitchens in the company I worked with involved. In February 2019, I leaped to a full-time employee at La Soupe, leading the Transform team and general operations.

Through the years, I’ve discovered that I thrive in organized chaos and love problem-solving. When 10 pallets of food show up unannounced and we don't know what to do with or where to put them, I love solving the puzzle. I'm in the kitchen less and less, but helping guide the staff to be confident in chaos is what I strive for. Working in a rescue kitchen brings its own set of challenges, but watching our kitchen team and volunteers tackle huge projects and learn from each other to grow their culinary skills is unbelievably rewarding. 

Growth

La Soupe has been growing both in physical space and in the strength of our mission. Moving from a 900-square-foot soupe shack in Newtown into a 16,000-square-foot facility in Walnut Hills has allowed us to expand our capacity for food storage and meal preparation, increasing overall efficiency. What we used to transform and share in a week is often shattered by our production in one day. 

Our kitchen team has undergone an incredible transformation over the past five years. We now employ 11 professional chefs, who are eager to put their culinary training to the test, held up by a massive support team of seasoned volunteers and other staff. 

Why Professional Chefs?

We’ve learned that food is always the answer. In many cases, people experiencing food insecurity are also experiencing a lack of resources in other areas. By supporting others with food and ready-to-heat and eat meals we are able to help alleviate some scarcity. Our chef talent not only knows what to do with all the surplus, including the bruised and “ugly” vegetables, but they also make it with heart and turn it into something that is safe, pleasurable, and pleasing to eat. 

Meet the Transform Team:

Stephen - Executive Chef

Stephen Williams came from Bouquet and is our newly appointed Executive Chef. He started as a partner and volunteer, but in his short time in the kitchen, he has helped increase our servings distributed by 35%! Stephen brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership experience, and we look forward to having his charge and expertise unfold.

Syd and Alae - Sous Chefs

Creatives, innovators, orchestrators of harnessing chaos, volunteer whisperers, soupe technicians, jugglers, food pushers, and music connoisseurs. 

Eddie & Krina - Nourish Chefs

Eddie (a bit of a local celebrity from his time at Thai Express) is excellent in quality control, always leads with his heart, and is so kind to volunteers. Krina holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering but has a passion for food as medicine. Still under a year with us, she has made a huge impact on streamlining processes and tackling the puzzle of making nourish desserts taste great!

Phil and Trevor - Transform Chefs

These guys are the go-to clutch helpers of all things, wealth of knowledge, mass soupe producers, guides of giant projects, and technical skill, Phil has garnered a cult following for his popular “Philly’s Chili” and Trevor, a new dad, is always happy to show off pictures of his newborn! 

Erin, Nate, and Josh - Jr. Transform Chefs

These three are still learning the ropes, but it's only a matter of time before they make Transform status. Erin is often seen with our late afternoon volunteer shift, guiding them through hundreds of pounds of produce. Nate works hard to create incredible food to fill our retail fresh case. Our latest addition, Josh, has been volunteering with us for over a year before joining the team full-time. He’s a seasoned chef coming to us from MadTree. We look forward to watching our Jr. chefs grow!

Wendell, Kerry, Ernie, and Patsy - The Unsung Heroes

The tireless keepers of the dish tank/facility/laundry who keep all the things clean and organized. We would be nowhere without these them! 

Superstar Volunteers

And of course, we could not do all these things without all the volunteers. Every day is a new adventure in food rescue—deliveries of odd vegetables, pallets containing mysterious items, or crates of fancy cheeses. No matter what, they always rise to the occasion, finding new ways to be efficient, putting quality first, and making it fun.

Honorable Mention - Alto-Shaam Combi Oven 

Thanks to a very generous donor, our kitchen can add capacity and speed to our operations. Since its incorporation into daily production, the Alto-Shaam Combi Oven has increased our serving output tremendously. For example, our kitchen cooked 3,200 chicken tenders in less than seven hours! We look forward to bringing more Combi Ovens and other time-saving and efficient tools into the kitchen in the future.

The Impact

This growth in personnel allows us to broaden our impact, forge new partnerships with local farms, grocery stores, and community organizations, and meet the rising demand for our services. With more hands on deck, we've been able to not only increase the number of meals we produce but also improve the quality and variety of our offerings. The kitchen team works seamlessly together, tackling challenges with resilience and heart, always focused on our core values of sustainability, equity, and compassion.  

Food is a basic human necessity. We need it to fuel our bodies and minds. As chefs, it is an honor to feed people with dignity and meet them where they are. Working for an organization that strives every day to support our staff, community, and planet is important to me to ensure we are able to continue our mission for years to come. My job is to make sure they have the support and tools to do what they do best, so we can do our best for you.

Looking to the Future

The journey from a small startup kitchen to a fully scaled nonprofit operation has been driven by dedication, teamwork, and a shared belief in the power of food to bring people together and change lives. Every square foot we’ve added and every new team member we’ve welcomed has brought us closer and stronger. Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue growing (more combi ovens!), learning, keeping more food out of the landfill, and nourishing our community and each other, one meal at a time.