Just in time for the colder season, soup lovers have a new place in Virginia Beach to grab a spoonful of comfort.
Soup Love & Co. opened its first store in Hilltop North Shopping Center in November.
What started as a passion project for chef Amy Markman in her home kitchen in 2019 quickly grew into a business. She built a commercial kitchen adjacent to her home and started delivering her bone broth and soups around Hampton Roads. She also sells her soups at local farmers markets and wholesales her products to local cafes and markets.
What started as a passion project for chef Amy Markman in her home kitchen quickly grew into a business called Soup Love. (Soup Love)
Soup Love produces about 100 to 150 gallons of soup and broths every week.
“Our roasted bone broths are our specialty and is our signature product,” Markman said. “The health benefits are so amazing, and we use no preservatives or shelf stabilizers in our products.”
Soup Love’s new 2,000-square-foot space serves over 35 varieties and includes flavors like harvest vegetable, blushing beets, beef noodle, chicken noodle, broccoli and cheddar, butternut squash and others. Other bestsellers include the Brunswick stew, lemon chicken with orzo and Tuscan bean. The soup is available in pint and quart sizes.
Soup Love’s new 2,000-square-foot space serves over 35 varieties and includes flavors such as harvest vegetable, blushing beets, beef noodle, chicken noodle, broccoli and cheddar, butternut squash and others. (Lee Belote/For The Virginian-Pilot)
Additionally, the store sells high-quality wellness products, including protein powders, topical oils, soaks and specialty food items.
“I have personally researched many of these wellness products,” Markman said. “My goal is to follow the trends and to offer a small but top-line selection of them.”
Soup Love’s shelves are also stocked with other food items, such as locally raised whole chickens, spatchcocked chickens, salads, fresh local eggs, Italian cheeses and an Italian food line from New York City that features pastas, raviolis and sauces.
Markman added that she also developed a pet bone broth that is sold alongside other organic pet treats.
“Soup Love & Co is a dream come true,” Markman said. “My true goal is to offer a product that may change one’s life for the better while teaching them about healthier lifestyle options. I’m hoping my products will be loved.”
A selection of food items at Soup Love & Co. The store opened in Virginia Beach in November. (Lee Belote/For The Virginian-Pilot)
Right now, Soup Love is grab-and-go only, although Markman said she may add dine-in service in the future.
Lori Golding Zontini, executive director of three local farmers markets, came to support Soup Love’s opening day. Zontini said she remembers when Soup Love first started as a market vendor.
“Watching her grow into her own storefront is one of those reminders of why supporting small business matters,” she said. “It’s beautiful to see how Soup Love has expanded into a space filled with thoughtful wellness goods, still rooted in Amy’s beginning — making soup to help her friends feel better.”
Lee Belote, jlbelote@verizon.net
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/30/chef-says-opening-of-soup-love-co-is-a-dream-come-true/
