by Cassandra Hetherington

Healthy, delicious soup is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Kennedy Street. That’s one reason why Donna Henry chose to locate Soup Up on this transforming corridor with few healthy options.

Opened in 2016, Soup Up has allowed Donna to establish strong ties to the neighborhood, and her customers are intensely loyal. “Are you still not eating meat?” she asks and remembers that my favorite soup is Cashew Chickpea with Shiitake Mushrooms. I am embarrassed that I haven’t been in the store lately, but flattered she remembers.

In my mind, salad is a summer meal; soup is for winter, even though I know she sells cold mango soup and gazpacho. Hot soup is one of the few good things about living up “North” where temperatures get much colder than in my native New Orleans. It is precisely her level of attention to her customer’s preferences that have built a loyal following for Soup Up.

Eric lives in Anacostia and is a regular customer

Donna’s motto is “Because of you, we are,” and she is sincere about this. Eric, a long time customer, drove from Anacostia and has been devouring Donna’s soups for a long time. As he waits for his accompanying sandwich I learn he’s from Memphis originally but has been in DC for nearly a decade. I didn’t understand just how much of a regular he is until he asks if I know about the peach cobbler ice cream Donna let him make and sell at Soup Up. With all the focus on amazing soup, I often forget she sells ice cream, sandwiches, wraps and more.

Born in Jamaica, raised in New York, Donna would summer as a child in Jamaica where soup wasn’t an appetizer or a side dish but often the main meal -- full of meat, vegetables and a starch. She was disappointed by American soup from cans or pre-packaged in plastic tubs. The American culture depends unnecessarily on oil, butter and dairy and misses out on natural flavors from a well-concocted soup. Frustrated by this absence, she decided to tackle the problem herself by opening Soup Up.

All of Donna’s soups are made with natural herbs, spices, vegetables, meats and vegetables. Her daily offerings include two or three meat-based and at least one, sometimes two, all-plant-based soups. She admits that since the pandemic, she has experienced a decrease in sales but feels blessed when people drive in from Delaware, Gaithersburg or Germantown to pack up their cars with her wares now that they are working from home and not coming into the city daily.

Donna never quit her day job working full time for DC government and, as exhausting as that sounds, there’s more. She’s written several children’s books about DC such as “My D.C. My Go-Go,” “My D.C. Her Story,” and “The Tale of Two Straws.”

She has plans to write one about DC’s mayors, and all of her books have been translated into Spanish.

Her vision is to create a small retail space in Soup Up with her titles and the Ruth Bader Ginsburg t-shirt she designed. I marvel at her energy and decide to purchase some butternut squash red lentil soup even though it is not quite cold enough yet in my mind.

My taste buds are happy with my decision. I swear I’m full of energy and I’m even a tiny bit glad winter is coming.