Published on 05 September 2023
Thursday will see the launch of the Waitaki Souper Soup Sipper in Ōamaru.
Eighteen cafés and restaurants in Ōamaru have submitted their own take on a warming bowl of soup for the food festival, which takes place over the next three weeks.
Helping out with making mushroom dumplings for the Collective Café miso and dumpling soup entry, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said: “The Souper Soup Sipper event is a great way for our wonderful local cafes and restaurants to show their flair! We are spoilt for choice in Waitaki but here’s the opportunity to find out who makes the best soup!”
Harbour Street’s Collective Café owner Kat Rivison welcomed the chance to bring a new soup onto the menu, “I’ve always wanted to add a miso soup to our menu and the Soup Sipper gave me the perfect opportunity. Making the mushroom dumplings is a little fiddly, as the Mayor discovered, but I’m hoping people love something a little different from their soup”
Jane Thompson, whose Moa Bakery, Cakery entry is a dairy free, gluten free and vegan has high hopes for her Super Greens Soup saying, “I had friends staying and we had this soup, and my friend was asking me what was in it, as her husband was going up to get more. I said the three vege, he goes, ‘that's my top three most hated vegetables’, and he still had more. So it's a goodie.” Entrants include Badger & Mackerel, Casa Mia, Craftwork Brewery, both Criterion and Brydone Hotel’s as well as Riverstone Kitchen and the Ōamaru Farmers Market. Keep an eye out for the Waitaki Souper Soup Stickers in the windows of participating cafés and restaurants between September 7th and September 30th. If you try one of the eighteen delicious soups on offer, grab a #soupselfie and tag in Waitaki Souper Soup Sipper on facebook and let people know what you think of your #tasteofthewaitaki. You can find out more about the soups and their stories there too.
The Mayor with Kat Rivison (Harbour Street Collective) and Jane Thompson (Moa Bakery) with some tasty soup
Kat Rivison and Mayor Gary Kircher making mushroom dumplings for the Soup Sipper
Kat Rivison and Mayor Gary Kircher showing their completed mushroom dumplings