S H O R T W I NT E R SO UP S
comfort
food Meet a social entrepreneur making an impact one bowl at a time By A nna-R hesa Versol a P h otography by J ohn Mi chael Si m pson
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ot all soups are created equal, according to Tova Boehm, who sources locally grown, seasonally available produce to make her scratch-made soups, soothing the body and soul for both the consumer and the chef. After graduating in 2008 from Earlham College in Indiana with a bachelor’s degree in weaving, Tova returned home to North Carolina and worked at a couple of farms north of Hillsborough. She also rose early to bake bread at Weaver Street Market, doing the 2 a.m. shifts. Two years later, Tova began exploring ideas for her own enterprise. “I wanted to start my own thing,” she says, looking for possible business opportunities that didn’t require upfront capital and kept her connected to the local agricultural community. “I settled on soup as the medium, the vehicle for celebrating produce,” Tova says.
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chapelhillmagazine.com
January/February 2024
“It’s something enjoyed by all ages and enjoyed all around the world. It doesn’t need a lot of explanation. It comes with, you know, comfort.” In 2010, she launched Short Winter Soups and began making, packaging and selling soups for 50 families who subscribed to her service. “At first, I was making all the soup,” Tova says, remembering how she worked alone in her rental apartment in Carrboro. “I spent Sundays and Mondays preparing, cooking and packaging the soup alone, then delivering to pickup locations around Chapel Hill, Durham and Carrboro on Tuesdays. I was doing all the deliveries in my sedan.” Today, the subscription list has grown to 100 families in addition to the pints and quarts sold at farmers markets. “Now, I have a full-time, salaried manager [and] four part-time folks who work in the kitchen or at three farmers markets year-round – Fearrington on Tuesdays, plus Carrboro and Durham on Saturdays.” Over the years, Tova has worked out of four different kitchens and is currently based at the Piedmont Food