A Message From Our Founder | August 2024

Written by La Soupe’s Founder, Suzy DeYoung

Sixty-six. I turned 66 years old this month… and with it came much reflection. An incredibly wise friend of mine once said that growing old happens gradually. It’s not like one day you wake up and say, “I’m old now!” But age has allowed me to pause, reflect, and count the many blessings that have accompanied me on this journey. 

I reflect on my days at La Petite Pierre, which sustained me for 25 years. That job, the profession of cooking and working with my family, fulfilled my creative needs. It’s funny; I now ask myself, “How the heck did I do that for so many years?” It was physically exhausting and mentally challenging, coupled with the anxiety-producing world of off-site catering. I learned that you must always have a Plan B and that even the most thought-out plans can have an unforeseen glitch. That glitch could be the difference between a memorable event or a complete disaster. 

I recall one event that we catered for that did not go the way I wanted. There were unforeseen challenges that escalated until I was knee-deep in a poorly executed event. It’s easy to say, “But look at all the successes you’ve enjoyed!” Unfortunately for that event, I had not spent enough time planning and working through all the “what if” scenarios. My takeaway was to learn from my poor planning, to NEVER allow that to happen again, and to make every subsequent event a showstopper full of memories for the guests. 

Ten years ago, I took my learned experiences to create La Soupe. The amount of “what if’s” would cause most people not to start their engine. “What if there is no food to rescue this week?” “What if we cannot get enough volunteers to help us?” “What if no schools are interested in our Cincinnati Gives a Crock Program?” “What if we cannot find enough places to bring the meals we create?" And the list goes on and on.  

One of the questions that was often asked of me at the beginning of La Soupe's journey was, “If feeding people can be done by rescuing food, why is nobody approaching hunger in that way?” I know the answer… because it is HARD! We will never succeed if we allow these “what ifs” to drive us. The many frustrations, the complications we navigate, and the problems we are asked to solve can sometimes seem insurmountable, but at the end of the day, our collective efforts are making a difference. We are keeping perfectly good food from going into a landfill. We are creating jobs for cooks and chefs to utilize their talent in the most meaningful of ways. We have created a place where all people are welcomed and can contribute to the greater good. We are being good stewards of the food we receive and feeding farm animals or composting what is not good for human consumption. 

As I reflect, I decided to go down memory lane with one part of La Soupe's beginnings. I asked myself, “Can I get another retailer to get on board with us?” just like the old days of me cold calling grocery stores. One of the hardest doors to get in for me has always been Costco. I cannot count the number of managers I have spoken to and could never get a follow-up response. To say I wanted to win this account is an understatement and an ongoing personal challenge. Thanks to a wonderful manager, Andrew, who happened to be a St. Xavier graduate (I leaned into that BIG time!), we are now receiving pallets from the Mason/Fields Ertel Costco! Mission accomplished and a smile ear to ear as I say to myself “I’ve still got it.”

Building relationships is critical to growth and learning, and I'm fortunate to have made connections with like-minded organizations across the country. A few weeks ago, my friend Bill Bracken of Bracken's Kitchen in California reached out to see if I had any connections on the East Coast. He was looking for a home for 70 palettes of short-coded San Marzano tomatoes that were sitting in a warehouse in New Jersey, valued at $195,000. I emailed a few friends I've met through the years, jumped in the shower, and PRESTO! An enthusiastic and grateful Matt Jozwiak, co-founder of Rethink Food in NYC, was making arrangements to rescue the "Ferrari" of canned tomatoes. And just like that, from the West Coast to East Coast, I was able to divert beautiful, nutritious food from the landfill in one of the largest "saves" of my career!

La Soupe began as an answer to “what if.” By allowing myself the freedom to explore and create a new model, it has helped countless people. My Founder role is now 10 years old, and I contemplate what retirement will look like. I give plenty of attention and effort to the moment I am currently in, but I will not let that hamper the moments to come. Because life will go on, and much of this wonderful life has yet to appear. 

I know I am being called to author a book on the intersection of my father’s life with my own. The World War set him on an unimaginable journey to America, establishing our city’s first 5-star restaurant, The Maisonette. The love of food and the joy that a well-prepared meal can bring to a guest. The life he could never imagine while living in an occupied war-torn region, came to fruition.  

My father did not shy from the question “what if” and neither did I. I want to share that story so that more people have the courage to ask themselves ...."What if."