Scott McCowan knows that you don’t mess with success. When he and his wife, Molly, purchased The Soup Otzie’s (3950 S. Howell Ave.; 414-747-9670) this past July from founder Joan Otzelberger (who opened the restaurant in 2003), the couple remained dedicated to keeping the soups that built the eatery’s loyal and passionate customer base. Molly had worked as a representative for Sysco Food Distributors, and The Soup Otzie’s was one of her accounts.
“The first time Molly was here, she called me right away and said she found the coolest little place on the South Side,” Scott said. The couple loved The Soup Otzie’s offerings and ambiance so much that they took days off work to go there to eat; under Otzelberger, the restaurant was only open for lunch and closed around 2:30 p.m. Molly loved the Otzelberger’s pork posole, and Scott’s favorite is lobster bisque. The McCowans became good friends with Otzelberger, and when they learned she had planned to sell the business, they saw a great opportunity. “I love the communal feel of it,” Scott said of the intimate space that was once a George Webb location. “Every time we came in, everyone was welcoming and interacting with each other.”
Like Molly, Scott had also worked in sales. He had worked in a restaurant for about a year while the couple lived in Maine. While growing up, his family members enjoyed cooking, and Scott frequently hung out in the kitchen to watch. “I’m half Puerto Rican, and my abuelito (grandfather) was a chef. I used to sit in the kitchen and watch him. He was the most joyful man you’d ever meet in life.”
The McCowans have all of Otzelberger’s original recipes, and she still mentors and occasionally helps out at the restaurant. The three classic daily soups are still available: cream of potato, Mom’s Pot Roast and old-fashioned chicken soup, which Scott said has become quite popular. “It’s the most basic chicken soup—your brothy, vegetable chicken soup with homemade dumplings. We sell about twice as much of that as we do anything else.”
In addition to the three mainstays, two rotating soups are available daily, with some vegetarian options like coconut chickpea with spinach and tomato Florentine. Other customer favorites include stuffed bell pepper, stroganoff and cheeseburger soup. The Soup Otzie’s offers about 80 soups on their specialty list during the course of the year with seasonal changes. Summer, for example, brings options like gazpacho, a cold tomato soup.
The Soup Otzie’s also has panini sandwiches, The Club, tuna melt and the popular Cubano—a slow-marinated pork loin served on rustic ciabatta bread. So far, any small changes the McCowans might make would be to add lighter fare such as salads during the spring and summer months.
Customers can dine in or take-out. The McCowans expanded The Soup Otzie’s hours until 7 p.m. Monday - Thursday. Several staff members from Otzelberger’s team have stayed on, and the McCowan’s teen son, Jaden, occasionally helps at the restaurant.
“We’ll see how things transition, but for me, it’s about providing a place where you can slow down, get away from your day and leave with a smile,” Scott said. So far, customers seem to agree; regulars from the restaurant’s Tippecanoe neighborhood still frequent the establishment, as do area business owners and travelers and employees from nearby General Mitchell International Airport.
For more information, visit thesoupotzies.com.
