Soupy Sales

The Food Depot brings back the Souper Bowl for its 27th iteration

The last time Santa Fe’s Food Depot hosted its usually annual Souper Bowl event, the world was roughly one month away from the kickoff of COVID-19 madness. This year, after two sad years without any major soup gatherings, the event will return with more than a dozen chefs crafting a wide gamut of soupy creations and, thanks to the community, a staggering impact for the organization through ticket sales and potential donations.

“We’re super excited, though we didn’t change a lot this year—we just wanted to come back and make it happen,” says Food Depot deputy director Jill Dixon. “We have 19 chefs, which is pretty good considering the stress that’s been put on the restaurant industry, plus the cost of food; it’s been a real commitment to sign on to a benefit event.”

This year’s lineup is a banger, too, with soups created by teams from Jambo Café, Sweetwater Harvest Kitchen, El Nido, Escondido (being chef Fernando Ruiz’s soon-to-open taco joint), Poki Tako, Tibet Kitchen and many more. Dixon can’t pick a favorite to win she says, but does note she’s heard some enticing rumors.

“What I’m most excited about is there are cuisines from around the world, a real diverse range,” she explains. “But I also heard there’s going to be a biscochito soup, which I have to say I’m dying for already.”

Ditto, but the real draw is helping community. While Dixon doesn’t have specific dollar numbers for an average Souper Bowl intake, she says that, at $35, every ticket sold translates to something like 120 meals for those in need.

“Roughly speaking, every dollar can provide four meals,” she tells SFR, “so it’s pretty awesome.”

Awesome indeed. In 2022, for example, The Food Depot distributed about 10 million pounds of food, or 8.8 million meals, according to Dixon, and a hiatus on food donations sort of trained the community to think about donating money rather than food itself, thus maximizing the possibilities.

“Don’t go to Smith’s and spend $20,” Dixon says, noting that The Food Depot has partnerships and distribution channels that stretch every donation further. As for the Souper Bowl—the 27th, for those keeping track—VIP tickets are already sold out, and though it’s possible there might be some general admission slots left at the door come Saturday, folks who also want biscochito soup should get it together ASAP.

(Alex De Vore)

SOUPER BOWL XXVII 12-2:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 28. $35 ($10 for kids) Santa Fe Community Convention Center 201 W Marcy St., thefooddepot.org