Media & Awards
Famous French master chef Louis P. De Gouy said, “Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any one other dish.” Spirits were certainly lifted and appetites nourished at the second annual Eminence Kids Soup Nights this January. Eminence staff volunteers served hundreds of bowls of handmade, organic soup to families and children receiving treatment at British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada.
The two-night event was created by our president, Boldijarre Koronczay, to provide healthy food as an essential part of treatment, healing and long-term wellness for seriously ill children. This year’s Soup Nights began at culinary school Dirty Apron, where 30 Eminence volunteers, supervised by top chefs, prepared chicken corn chowder, butternut squash and apple soup, and ribollita. Each recipe used locally sourced, organic, non-GMO ingredients to ensure the best possible nutrition.
The next evening, another group of volunteers delivered and served the soups—along with warm organic whole-grain rolls and organic juices—to pediatric patients and their families. The bright family-style dining room and two house kitchens were decorated with balloons and Eminence Kids teddy bears, creating a celebratory atmosphere. Laughter filled the room as volunteers and children played after dinner. More than 100 bowls were served that night, and over 500 additional servings were stored so families could enjoy a healthy, organic meal later.
Since Eminence Kids began in 2013, the program has provided thousands of gallons of organic cold-pressed juice, thousands of pounds of locally sourced organic fruit, and hundreds of gallons of handmade organic soup to children around the world. A portion of the proceeds from every product sold supports Eminence Kids—a program inspired by Boldijarre’s own childhood fight and recovery from acute myeloid leukemia. Special thanks to Ronald McDonald House BC for providing long-term housing to sick children and their families; to Avalon Dairy for donating essential organic ingredients; and to four dedicated employees from our spa partner, Loft Hair Studio and Beauty Bar, who volunteered their time to help cook.