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Soup Shop owner Jeff Jelten ladles out a bowl of clam chowder for a customer Thursday afternoon. The Soup Shop opened in the second week of December last year and has already gained a steady clientele. Peter Strong / The Daily Barometer [Click to enlarge]

Mom always said that homemade chicken noodle soup was the only cure for a cold.

Here at Oregon State, mom may not be around to cook, but thanks to the hot soup and warm escape from the weather found at the Soup Shop on Monroe Avenue, owned and operated by Jeff and Licia Jelten, there's now a cure for the common wintertime cold.

"We're the only cure for the sickness that's been going on around here that I know of," Jeff Jelten said.

And to add to the homey feeling the shop exudes, original artwork by Licia Jelten can be seen hanging up around the shop and is also for sale.

The Jeltens opened up the Soup Shop the second week of December in 2005, and business has been booming ever since.

"Around lunch, business is absolutely rock steady," Jeff Jelten said. "We have lines out the door. I can't tell you how pleased I am."

According to Jeff, who has been in the restaurant business for 30 years, he got the idea of a soup shop from the Starbucks and Dutch Bros. that seem to be on every corner these days.

"It's good to get a different aspect on things," Kevin Wonnacott, an OSU student, said. "It'd delicious, I've come here for the past two days in a row."

Jeff Jelten said he wanted to throw a new idea out there and see if it would catch on. It certainly seems to. According to him, he has never owned a restaurant that has been so successful.

"There are about two dozen patrons that rarely miss a day eating here," he said. "About a quarter of my customers are from the local community, which is lucky because of the shop's close proximity to campus."

The Soup Shop boasts a steady menu, with six to eight new soups available every day. Three or four of these soups are vegetarian and vegan friendly. According to Jeff Jelten, about half of his business is from vegetarians and vegans. Most of the time, customers can't even tell the difference between the vegetarian and non-vegetarian soups.

"I think it's awesome, and the prices are definitely reasonable," Dan Genco, a business major, said.

The Soup Shop is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It started featuring various pasta dishes on its dinner menu. Prices range from $2.95 for 8 ounces to $9.50 for 32 ounces, and all soups include handcrafted bread.

Jeff Jelten is very happy with the way business is going at the shop and plans to continue to keep his idea going.

"Each day gets busier, and I hope to see that continue," he said, smiling.

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