Meet the King of Soup, John Fullington AKA the Soup Pauper

If I had the power I would crown John Fullington the Connecticut king of soup. I am totally unqualified to do so, as my soup experience at Yale and in New Haven has been limited to the dining halls, Atticus, and Mecha soup, but here I am to confidently tell you that Fullington makes some of the best soup in Connecticut. 

John Fullington, known to his loyal followers as Soup Pauper, has spent half of his life in the restaurant industry. But this didn’t always look like owning a pop-up soup business. “I felt disenfranchised by the current state of the industry,” Fullington recalled. “I no longer wanted to work long hours, on holidays, in toxic work environments, with no benefits, often for ownership I've barely met.” So he left the industry and created his own business; one that allowed him to work on his own terms and do what he felt passionately about. “My goal isn't to create a business that becomes huge and makes me so much money that I never have to work again,” he said. “I just want to make enough money to support myself and my family, while doing what I love.

Enter Soup Pauper: Fullington’s tiny pop-up business centered around soup. Why soup? It’s simple: Fullington’s favorite thing to cook is soup. He referred to making soup as a “mindfulness practice”; there’s a precise order, it’s a long and involved process, and it makes him very aware of the present moment. Furthermore, aside from the act of making soup, Fullington noted, “I also love what it represents; family, community, and everyday people at the dinner table.” 

I came across Soup Pauper totally by happenstance. I was venturing to East Rock Breads one Saturday morning and was met with a lovely surprise: a pop-up soup vendor inside of the bakery! This was horrible news because I am about the most indecisive person ever and became even more stumped on how I’d allocate my money given even more enticing aromatic options. But once I sampled Fullington’s tomato fennel soup and white bean chicken chili, I knew I had to dig deeper into my wallet. It was splurge time. For soup. And it was 10000% the right decision. Those were some of the best soups I’ve ever had.

The tomato soup had a uniform texture and looked like a well done classic. But it was much more than mundane tomato soup: the fennel changed the game. I tasted just as much fennel as tomato. It made me never want to have simple, boring, plain tomato soup again. Soup Paper has ruined Yale’s grilled cheese tomato soup Thursdays for me. Tomato soup will now forever feel incomplete without fennel. @YaleDining, where’s the fennel at?

The white bean chicken chili was my favorite of the two. (And the tomato fennel made for some difficult competition). There was a lot involved: tender chicken shreds and white beans, of course, but also corn, carrot, celery, cream, and tortilla chips… I’m sure there is much more to Fullington’s magical methods but that is what met the eye. This soup would convert me into a freezing-soup-and-save-it-for-months-on-end type of gal. This soup would cause me to eat soup once a day. (And I’m currently a once-every-three-weeks soup consumer so that says a lot). It was comforting, abundant in flavor, and a party in the texture-zone. And although there was some dairy involved, it wasn’t overwhelming: you could still easily down a cup (or a pint… not speaking from experience though of course). It was the perfect soup.

I will be keeping my eye out for any Soup Pauper pop-up in or around New Haven, and if you want to experience joy in the form of soup, you will too. Fullington does pop-ups at East Rock Breads and is a vendor at the Stony Creek Farmer's Market in Branford. He also does some catering and is available for small events, gatherings or personalized orders. You can contact him via Instagram @souppauper or by email at souppauper@gmail.com. Trust me, you’ll want to,