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-- Kramer, 1995
When the series finale of Seinfeld was announced in 1998, my brother and I jumped on a plane and flew to New York City for three days so that I could clone a few recipes from Soup Kitchen International, the real-life soup counter that inspired the "Soup Nazi" episode from the TV series. I figured these new copycat recipes would be a good tribute the end of a really great show, and everyone who couldn't make a trek to NYC could taste some really great soup -- or at least a knockoff of some really great soup.
We brought along a cooler filled with ice packs, Tupperware, and Ziploc bags, and for 72 hours we had nothing on the agenda other than staking out Al Yeganeh's take-away soup kitchen and securing our precious samples. I knew that the selection of soups changed every day so we would have to get lucky if we were going to snag some of the same soups mentioned in the 1995 Seinfeld episode.
When we arrived at Soup Kitchen International on West 55th Street I was blown away by what I saw: The soup stand was just a small storefront, but extending out of it was a long line that stretched down the street and around the corner. All these people are waiting for soup? We took a spot at the end of the line and waited patiently for our moment to follow orders as posted by The Soup Nazi: "1. PICK THE SOUP YOU WANT! 2. HAVE YOUR MONEY READY! 3. MOVE TO THE EXTREME LEFT AFTER ORDERING!"
While the rules may seem stern, the line did move at an impressively fast clip. In under an hour we found ourselves at the front where, unfortunately, the only soup on sale that was mentioned in the show - Mexican Chicken Chili (George orders the turkey version) - had just sold out. I did, however, eyeball some Cream of Sweet Potato Soup that looked delicious, and it was being served by none other than The Soup Nazi himself, Al Yeganeh. He worked the counter like a machine, and despite the huge line of paying customers who were properly following his list of rules, he did not seem very happy. Immediately I noticed a resemblance to actor Larry Thomas' character on the show, except Al had no mustache. We quickly ordered our soup, got our money ready, and moved to the extreme left.
The scene at Soup Kitchen International was similar the next day, and when we got to the front of the line I liked what I saw. Although the Mexican Chicken Chili was once again sold out, of the five soup selections available that day I saw two that were mentioned on the show: The Crab Bisque ordered by Jerry, and Kramer's go-to soup, Indian Mulligatawny. When ordering the soups I resisted the strong urge to ask Yeganeh a few questions on the chance that he'd spout the TV show catchphrase at me, "No soup for you!" and deny me my prized specimens. So, once again I quietly ordered my soup with money at the ready, then moved left. Extremely left. Back in the hotel room I carefully poured the soups into Tupperware storage containers, taped the lids on tight, and quickly got them into the fridge. Good score.
On the third and final day we went set off earlier and totally lucked out. There was plenty of Mexican Chicken Chili left this time, and the line was way shorter. This was also my last chance to chat with the Soup Nazi, so at the risk of being scolded I got up the courage to ask Al Yeganeh a few questions about the TV show that made him famous. Needless to say, my interview was very brief:
TW: How do you feel about all the publicity that followed the Seinfeld episode?
AY: I don't need it. I was known well enough before that. I don't need it.
TW: But it must have been good for business, right?
AY: He [Jerry Seinfeld] used me. He used me. I didn't use him, he used me.
TW: How many people do you serve in a day?
AY: I cannot talk to you. If I talk, I cannot work!
TW: How many different soups do you serve?
AY: (Getting very upset) I cannot talk! (Pointing to sign). Move to the left. Next!
Al ended the interview but I was very happy that he still let me have my Mexican Chicken Chili. Maybe Al Yeganeh isn't such a Nazi after all. Can someone who makes such delicious and creative soups have anything but a warm heart? Good food requires passion and love and creativity - characteristics not usually associated with the Nazi regime.
The four samples of soup made it safely back to my lab in the middle of the Nevada desert, where over the next several days I successfully recreated the soup made famous by the guy made famous by Seinfeld. I posted the recipes on my Website back in 1998 over the four weeks leading up to the finale of the show. The recipes got great reviews and many of the thousands and thousands of people who tried the recipes over the years contributed suggestions and tweaks to help perfect the formulas. All four Soup Nazi clone recipes - Indian Mulligatawny, Crab Bisque, Mexican Chicken Chili, and Cream of Sweet Potato Soup - are published in my next trade paperback, Top Secret Recipes Unlocked , in stores on November 24th.
The Soup Kitchen International sign is still up on 55th Street, but in 2006 Al Yeganeh closed up shop. Yeganeh found a way to sell his soups on a much larger scale by franchising his concept under the name "Original Soup Man." He sells 8 pound bags of 45 different varieties of soup to franchisees as long as they agree to not to use the terms "Soup Nazi" or "Seinfeld" while on the job or in sales literature. Yeganeh also created a line of boxed and frozen soups that are now available in over 1100 stores across the country. On the front of each package is an artist rendering of a not-so-happy Al Yeganeh. On back of the package is his new, simple catchphrase: "Soup for You!"
Top Secret Recipes Unlocked Todd Wilbur cooking cook book
