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: Cheap Eats in Newton

These are trying times for foodies, especially if you like to eat out on a regular basis. But fear not- Patch Picks can give you an idea of where to dine on the cheap for any meal, even if you’re just taking the family out for dessert.

Breakfast – The Village Café in Newtonville offers some amazing breakfast deals. The Lumberjack Special gives you a hearty start to your day with three eggs, choice of meat, home fries, toast, and juice or milk for under $9.00. Or go for a specialty three-egg omelet, none of which costs more than $10.00. Don’t forget that breakfast is the most important meal of the day…until lunch. Lunch – As the fall weather hits us, our hearts and stomachs turn to the comforts of warm food. And what is more comforting than a steaming cup or bowl of soup on a chilly autumn day? The New England Soup Factory’s fall menu is in full swing, and it includes not only their delicious soups but also a filling chicken potpie and some spicy chili. Dinner- Blue …

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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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Newton in the Kitchen

Honestly Abe

Ninety year old Abe Pilsmaker is a fixture at the New England Soup Factory. Today we celebrate his birthday, his tireless work ethic and his love of great soup.

Four score and ten years ago today, Abe Pilsmaker came into this world. A proud father, grandfather and soon-to-be great-grandfather, he is the face behind the register at The New England Soup Factory.  “I opened up this store 13 years ago,” states Pilsmaker. “I was 77, and I just applied for a job." At age 10, Pilsmaker began his professional life delivering newspapers in his hometown of Toronto.  “Things were very rough for us then,” he states. “My mother had been widowed and anything we could scrape together, we survived on.” Pilsmaker stayed in Toronto until age 19 then joined the service. When he got out, he met his first wife and they decided to move to the Boston area to be closer to their families. For most of the next 50 years, …

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