I thought it might be interesting to read about someone not taking a traditional career path...like a doctor, teacher who did mostly one thing. My life and work have been exciting, but not necessarily the best way to make $’s.
Fifteen roads diverged in a yellow wood...I took all 15...careers! I never felt I was made to do or be one thing my whole life. Circumstances, one thing leading to another and the love of creating something from scratch whose success depends on me, had most to do with my career choices.
After graduating from Rutgers, I did what was necessary to avoid the draft. I became a social worker and than a teacher in Newark. The following year I moved to the Village in New York with Marc Moss and got M.A. in American History at N.Y.U.
Meanwhile Minda lived uptown with Debbie Goss working on her M.A. in Education at Columbia. Next a stint as a taxi driver in Manhatten.
It’s 1970, and Les Schofferman, Marc Moss and I set out with our long hair and paraphernalia for California on our motorcycles. I got off in northern Vermont and stayed for 4 years with Minda joining me. We lived on a 400 acre farm in the middle of nowhere.
Back to the earth, sorta! Minda taught 2nd grade for 3 years. I dug ditches for the Gas Co., taught at the Neighborhood Youth Corp., and for 2 years taught 5th and 6th grade science and worked as the athletic director and janitor. In 1973 we were married by a justice-of-the-peace with Marc Moss as our audience.
Living in Vermont, Minda and I missed movies and restaurants and moved to Northampton, MA,.home of Smith College. Here we managed one of the first half-way houses for de-institutionalized, mentally and emotionally disturbed people. It was one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things we’ve done. Coincidentally, the lawyer who argued and won the landmark case relating to the de-institutionalization was Judy Herr’s brother, Stanley. He was a wonderful guy who passed away much too soon. The people whom we oversaw now all live independently in the community...still a bit crazy, but who isn’t?
To break from the intensity of this work, I took a part-time job cooking soup for a new restaurant in Northampton. Although I hadn’t really cooked much of anything before, the soups became the most popular item and soon I was supplying most of the restaurants in the area with soup.
Six months later, in 1976, Mind and I opened The Soup Kitchen, The first soup restaurant in the country (probably the 3rd, but it just doesn’t sound as good). The Soup Kitchen was featured in the N.Y Times, magazines and food guides. I was the cook and Minda, the baker. Ten years to the day, We sold the Soup Kitchen and our other 2 restaurants in 1986.
Minda then became a Special Ed. teacher at the local high school. I taught for 3 years, finally one year as a history teacher and one as head of discipline...a joke in itself. This ended because of lack of funding, or I probably would still be teaching.
I needed a job and once again, to re-invent myself. I have loved movies since The Million Dollar Movie. I hung movie posters on the walls in my restaurants. I taught myself the art of movie poster restoration and, for 10 years restored posters for collectors, auction houses and dealers. I become a collector myself,.particularly of Audrey Hepburn posters.
In 1999, I wrote a kids/family cookbook with recipes from the Soup Kitchen. The book was illustrated by a neighbor, the renown artist, Jane Dyer. Called Blue Moon Soup, the book, amazingly, was a best seller and had won numerous awards. The best part though was that through the publicity of the book, I was able to connect with some classmates. Lisa Max Zimet.(whoever that is), has become a close friend.
Next fall 3 more books will be published...Pizza My Heart, a book about Where Food Comes From and The Pope Loves Pastrami...a lament on the disappearance of most great Jewish Delicatessens and with that, great pastrami.
I have cooked on the CBS Early Show and the Today Show. This spring, after 5 years of effort, Blue Moon Soup, a kid's cooking program, where a kid is the star and I’m her assistant will be on either PBS or Discovery.
Minda and I have 2 kids, Sasha (29), a photographer in new York, and Alec, a waiter and sound technician, in Northampton. Minda loves gardening and is now taking care of her father who lives with us. She is still the kindest, goodest and prettiest person I’ve ever known.
So while you all are thinking of retiring, I’m thinking...What’s next?!
Make “Peace Soup,” not War!
The Soup Pacifist
We can be reached at funnyface@bluemoonsoup.com or 413 586 2157
