Newton Chefs Show Culinary Strength at Boston Bites Back

On May 15, 100 area chefs gathered at Fenway Park for Boston Bites Back, an event to raise funds for One Fund Boston and to raise spirits among the attendees (including first responders and victims of the marathon bombings)

On an unexpectedly beautiful night at Fenway Park, 100 of the Boston area’s best-known and most loved chefs and restaurateurs gathered at Boston Bites Back to raise money for One Fund Boston, the charity set up to provide aid to victims (and their families) of the Boston Marathon bombings.  Of course, a few of Newton’s own “celebrichefs” made the scene. Representing New England Soup Factory, Paul Brophy and Marjorie Druker provided a beautiful Minestrone Verde comprised of a plethora of vegetables, ditalini pasta, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese in a vegetarian stock. The soul-warming cup of deliciousness was topped with a crostini and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Chef Michael Leviton of Lumiere (and Area Four) was there with …

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Newton in the Kitchen

New England Soup Factory Owner Dishes Details on Newton Expansion, New Offerings

Marjorie Druker, owner and chef at The New England Soup Factory, talks about why she decided to expand into the rotisserie chicken business and how being a mom and a member of the Jewish community helps inform her new undertaking.

Marjorie Druker, owner of the New England Soup Factory in Newton and Brookline, is more than just the “soup lady.”  She is now also the “chicken lady,” since opening an addition to her Newton store late last year that features rotisserie chicken. Why chicken, you may ask? “When I was a little girl growing up, there was a rotisserie restaurant in Newton Centre called Cinders, and we’d walk up from our house to get a nice dinner,” Druker recalls. “Then I opened Boston Chicken in Newtonville, in 1985, I created the menus (with that restaurant in mind). People always felt I should do that on my own.” But Druker’s chicken – and the other fare prepared in the large oven that dominates the New England Soup Factory’s expansion- isn’t your everyday…

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New England Soup Factory to Expand Needham Street Location

With Pizzapalooza moved out, Marjorie Druker is planning big things for the Soup Factory next door.

When New England Soup Factory owner Marjorie Druker found out her Pizzapalooza neighbors were planning to close their doors, she saw an opportunity to not only expand her business space, but also a chance to expand the home-cooked offerings she brings to her loyal customers. "It's a privilege and a delight to be able to serve or own community with the same food that we would eat in our home," Druker said in an email to Newton Patch. After 15 years in their Needham Street location, Druker said the Soup Factory has decided to stretch out into the former Pizzapalooza space, which was vacated last month.  Along with the expanded square footage, Druker said the Soup Factory has also purchased a rotisserie oven and will soon offer "our own …

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Patch Picks

Patch Picks: Newton Chefs

You don't have to travel to Boston to sample the cuisine of some truly gifted chefs: we have many right here in Newton. Here are five of the best-known and most popular.

Michael Leviton of Lumieré  - Chef Leviton was at the forefront of the “farm to table” movement, and his restaurant boasts a carefully crafted seasonal menu that emphasizes what is best and freshest from local farms and purveyors. Leviton has also won numerous prestigious national awards for his cuisine, including one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs and a nomination for the James Beard Award (like the Oscars of foodies). Marjorie Druker of New England Soup Factory – Patrons travel from as far away as New Hampshire for a bowl (or quart) of Druker’s famous soups. But she also prepares gorgeous salads and hearty sandwiches and sides. Aware of the perception that soup isn’t a summer food, Druker changes her menu in summer to reflect lighter …

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