Soup Surreal simmers its way into their 10th anniversary

Soup Surreal celebrates 10 years of selling chef styled homemade soups.

Soup is the ultimate comfort food, soothing on a cold day and healing when not feeling well. Chef/owner Derek Denny has been serving up his concoctions at Soup Surreal for ten years on Wellington St., a testament to his popularity in the community.

Denny’s journey began around 20 years ago by starting to make soups for friends and family. His dream was to have a restaurant of his own that only made soup. He started working in restaurants at the tender young age of 14 washing dishes and grew into his chef’s apron with hard work and tenacity.

“When you get your prep list and one is the soup of the day, other chefs would groan about another thing to do but I would think of it as a chance to shine. I always enjoyed having that opportunity and would embrace it,” said Denny.

Once he moved to Stratford, he discovered the Slow Food Market and began selling his soups there and renting the country club kitchen to make batches. From there he got into the Kitchener market until finally, in 2014, he and his partner decided to pull the trigger and find a permanent home.

Soup was his passion, enjoying the flavour building of it and the final product just simply doesn’t get celebrated as much as it should for what it is. He started his apprenticeship cooking before moving to the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute and worked in many kitchens. He worked in Germany for three months and came back focused on developing recipes. He went to Australia for seven months working and developing his inspirational recipes. While there, Denny was influenced by the curry and thai foods that were prevalent in the region.

“We embrace seasonal ingredients and do things like fire roasted corn soup or lemon grilled asparagus and butternut squash and apple. When we get into spring and summer we shut down earlier as it’s not as busy. Hot soup is a hard sell in summer. We are so busy from September to May so we embrace the off season,” said Denny.

The community has helped to shape the menus at Soup Surreal. By operating in the Slow Food Market, vendors are in direct contact with the consumer and can find out the likes, dislikes, and what they are looking for. The employees, of which there are three beside Denny, try to get involved in events that occur throughout the city and make donations where they are needed, for example, the Connections Centre. Again this year, Soup Surreal will partner with Coldest Night of the Year and help to warm the hiking teams with their soup.

“We always love that event. We get all bundled up and serve some hot soup and make everyone smile for a while as they embrace some hot soup. It’s great to see people enjoy it and standing around as a community, putting in their time and enjoying something that is perfect for that event,” said Denny.

Soups are also available at the Livery Yard in Stratford as well as locations in London, Heidleburg, St Marys and St Jacobs. He feels that the  business is strong by sticking to the trends of his clientele, whether they are pursuing a Keto diet or a diabetic diet. Some are needing gluten free, vegan, or dairy free. “More of the trend is to try and do what we are doing really well and make sure that we are doing it in a way that satisfies everyone, not just a small group of people,” said Denny.

Many who have come out to the restaurant have a favourite, and in Stratford, the favourite is the Creamy Chicken Comfort.

“It is almost like a chicken pot pie style soup. After that is a long list, there’s the creamy soups, creamy broccoli cheddar, creamy tomato and roasted garlic, creamy dilly spuddy, and a mix of all other flavours.

They usually have three soup options daily along with a chili. One week will be a vegetable chili and the next week is a meat chili. The three soups rotate and they always have a vegan option. Posted daily is the menu on all their socials, Facebook and Instagram.

Soup Surreal is located at 98 Wellington St., Stratford and is open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Soups can be purchased hot, or frozen to enjoy at your leisure.