Looking for a warm bowl of soup on a rainy day? Consider the winners of this year's Soup’s On competition

On Sunday, during St. Louis' biggest soup competition, attendees sipped, slurped, and voted on 22 soups, plus five desserts.

by

Looking for a warm bowl of soup on a rainy day? Consider the winners of this year's Soup’s On competition.

The 13th Annual Soup’s On and Just Desserts competition was held Sunday, February 23 at the St. Louis Community College-Meramec gym. The city’s biggest soup event, attracting nearly 1,000 guests, benefits Manor Grove, an independently owned nursing home, rehab, recovery, and hospice facility in Kirkwood that provides short-term and long-term health care. This year, 22 restaurants competed for the gold, silver, and bronze ladles in two categories, the Judges and People’s Choice, as well as the Golden Whisk award for best dessert. And the winners?

Soups

Judges' Awards:

  • Gold: Thai Curry Bowl from Stir Crazy Fresh Asian Grill. (The Thai Curry Bowl nabbed its second Judge's Golden Ladle award; it also won in 2016. The soup also garnered a silver from the judges in 2017 and 2018, but it did not place last year.)
  • Silver: Sausage, Kale, and White Bean from Edera Italian Eatery (Though the restaurant coming to the former Scape space in the Central West End hasn't even opened yet, it earned a Judges' silver for the soup. Wanna bet that soup will be on the inaugural menu?)
  • Bronze (tie): Cheesy Chicken Tortilla from Granite City Food & Brewery and House Smoked Brisket Chili from J. P. Field's West

People's Choice Awards:

  • Gold: Poblano Chicken Chowder from Canyon Cafe (As expected, Canyon Cafe's ubiquitous, multi-award-winning chowder remained a favorite, nabbing the People's Choice Gold.)
  • Silver: Creamy Chipotle Chicken from Lester’s 
  • Bronze: French Onion from Nordstrom's Cafe Bistro 

DESSERTS:

There was more variety in the winners categories this year than in prior years. Bisques were also in abundance, with tomato basil, crab and lobster, mushroom, and honey jalapeno. Other tempting offerings included Ribollita (traditional Tuscan vegetable soup), Kentucky Bourbon Burgoo, and House Smoked Brisket Chili. There was also a Smoked Chicken Chowder, and the popular Poblano Chicken Chowder made a return appearance. (But alas, still no chicken noodle. In 13 years, no competitor has ever entered America's most popular soup.)

This year’s desserts were particularly tempting. On the sweets tables were Tiramisu Panna Cotta, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake, Biscoff Layer Cake, Chocolate Baklava, and Lemon and Blueberry Crème Brulee. If it existed, the 'most unexpected award' would have gone to double-winner Honey Pit Smokehouse, which nailed a blueberry-topped creme brulee. 

A panel of local celebrities judged the competition, including SLM dining editor George Mahe, a 13-year Soup's On veteran. The ever-jovial Matt Chambers, KMOV host and weatherman, emceed the event.

Among this year's full list of soup competitors:

  • Amighetti's
  • Amigos Cantina
  • Biggie’s Restaurant and Bar
  • Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom
  • Canyon Cafe
  • Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant
  • Edera Italian Eatery
  • Granite City Food & Brewery
  • Jason's Deli (Kirkwood)
  • J.P. Fields West
  • Lester's Sports Bar & Grill
  • Mimi's Bistro + Bakery
  • Paul Mineo's Trattoria
  • Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe
  • Rosalita's Cantina
  • Stir Crazy Asian Grill
  • Straub's Fine Grocers
  • Sunny Street Cafe
  • Three Kings Public House
  • Union 30 at Hotel Saint Louis
  • Walnut Grill

Just Desserts competitors:

  • Edera Italian Eatery
  • The Greek Kitchen
  • Honey Pit Smokehouse
  • Jilly's Cupcake Bar
  • Nothing Bundt Cakes
Sign up for St. Louis Magazine's weekly dining newsletter to keep up with the latest in the local restaurant scene.
Or, check out all of our newsletters.