Meet Chef Jenny of Souper Jenny!

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Meet Chef Jenny Levison of Atlanta's favorite spot for a comforting meal, Souper Jenny! Chef Jenny is *the* soup and salad guru, and we are souper excited to partner with her for two extra special meal kits: Santiago Chicken Soup inspired by her 500 mile hike in Spain, and Everything Bagel Winter Chicken Salad, which is simply brimming with veggies and all the best cold-weather flavors! Get to know Jenny and learn a little bit about how Souper Jenny came to be.

What got you into the world of cooking?

I took a two year trip around the world instead of culinary school. I wanted to learn world cuisine from people in their homes.

Did you always want to be a chef? If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?

No! I went to Carnegie Mellon to be an actor. I thought I would have a long Broadway career, but this is pretty close!

So tell us, why soup?

When I returned from that trip around the world, I realized that 90% of the recipes I collected were soups!

Which kitchen utensil or tool would you be lost without?

My wooden soup stirring spoon!

If you were a fruit or veggie, which one would you be and why?

Garlic, hands down, Love garlic. Also salt. It enhances everything!

What were your inspirations for your Santiago Chicken Soup and Everything Bagel Chicken Salad recipes?

I just returned from walking the 500 mile path of The camino de Santiago in Spain. I had some beautiful soups and was inspired to create a soup sharing what I enjoyed on my trip.

Tell us about your 500 mile hike in Spain along the Camino de Santiago! How long did it take? What was it like to go on such a long journey by foot?

It was the most amazing experience I've ever had. It took 35 days to complete the 500 miles. Having the luxury of doing nothing but walk for 35 days was a gift and I'm so grateful for my entire team that took over and let me do this!!

Did you pick up any cooking ideas or tips during your trip?

What I loved most was looking at all the amazing gardens that people had even in the smallest of cities. People were growing their own food. It was so inspiring!

Tell us about the Souper Farm!

Souper Farm was started as part of our 501c3, The Zadie Project. We grow food, turn it into soup and donate it back to our community. We also use it as an educational learning center. We love our full time farmer, Farmer Jeff. Stop by and talk to him anytime!

What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten?

Roasted Chicken at Zuni in San Francisco.

What's the one piece of advice you'd like to give our home chefs?

Soup cooking should be relaxing and enjoyable. It's all about the prep. Try following your gut instead of the recipe after you get the basic steps down. That's where the magic happens!