Soup 2 Nutz Announces Closing

Local food market and bistro Soup 2 Nutz, currently located in Smithville, will be closing its doors at the end of the year, the owners announced on the store's Facebook page on Friday.

"No more soup for you," the announcement reads. "Our doors will close December 31^st. Major sale going on NOW, on retail products ONLY. We are still making soups and treats daily, so stop on by for something delicious."

According to a store representative, customers will still be able to "follow Soup 2 Nutz on Facebook."At the time this article was published, owners Ralph and Beverly Nucci could not be reached for comment. 

The eatery, which opened its doors in 2009, had been a dream come true for the entrepreneurs who have owned several successful businesses in the past. 

The Nuccis were the perfect team mixing classic Italian dishes with a healthy twist. Beverly always had an interest in specialty diets and healthy cuisine.

It wasn't until she was diagnosed with lupus and osteoporosis that she really began to see what the positive effects were of maintaining a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. Beverly's doctor had urged her to cut out all artificial ingredients from her diet, eliminate white flour and sugar and significantly cut down on meat and dairy products. 

Beverly noticed the difference in her health and physique immediately. However, with an Italian family and a husband who loves to cook up tempting concoctions, passing up on tasty treats became harder to resist. 

That is when the Nuccis decided to put their talents to work and created a menu that satisfied the palate, the appetite and the body. 

"It amazes me when I see the long lines at (fast food chains)," Beverly Nucci said in an interview conducted prior to the announcement that the store would be closing. "In the time it takes to wait in line for junk food, they could have made a healthy meal."

The Nuccis' menu caters to four types of consumers: the vegan, the vegetarian, the foodie and the fast foodie. 

For the vegan, there is a wide variety of soups and food items that are 100 percent natural and free of meat, dairy and animal by-products, as well as baked good mixes that are gluten-free such as baby cake brownies.

For the vegetarian, there is a delicious assortment of foods and food products that are meat-free and all-natural. A particular favorite is their famous Eggplant Pie. It's layers of breaded eggplant and ricotta piled like lasagna and baked in a pie shell.

For the foodie, there are wonderful gadgets and cooking products as well as various gourmet food products.

For the fast foodie, everything in the bistro is partially cooked so that the consumer can either heat up their food choice in the restaurant or at-home for the homemade without all the time it takes for the preparation. 

Every imaginable soup concoction is offered on the menu from their famous Lobster & Crab Bisque (a velvety-smooth, creamy soup with chunks of lobster and crabmeat) to Creamy Artichoke to Hungarian Mushroom with Brown Rice. Soup selections consist of a lot of heart healthy options (such as Lots of Lentil or Tomato Basil) as well as comforting classics (like Mom's Escarole and Red Ripe Tomato). All soups are sold by the cup, bowl, pint or quart served hot, cold or frozen. 

But the menu doesn't end with soup. It changes every day and offers baked macaroni and cheese, stuffed pork loin and a plethora of pasta salads.

Slowing down and enjoying life is what's at the core of Ralph and Beverly Nucci's philosophy. 

"We're trying to bring tradition back to the table," said Beverly Nucci. 

For anyone that still wants a chance to share in that tradition, time is running out to try some soups and check out their closing sales. Soup 2 Nutz will be available on Facebook for its devoted customers, old and new alike.