Students and employees made gallons of soup for the community
On December 11, 2025, more than 30 Cincinnati State faculty and staff members, along with Midwest Culinary Institute (MCI) chefs and students, spent several hours chopping, cooking, and completing other steps needed to prepare 184 gallons of delicious soup for sharing with others in the Greater Cincinnati region.
The eight different kinds of soup (enough for 2,000 bowls) were poured into plastic buckets and transported by La Soupe for distribution to individuals who are experiencing food insecurity.
La Soupe is a non-profit organization that rescues excess, perishable food from local restaurants and grocery stores, transforms it into delicious and nutritious meals, and shares the meals with those in need.
The Fall Semester service project was the third time College volunteers have made soup for La Soupe distribution. The event was planned by Chef Michael Whitley (MCI Director), Chef Greg Skibinski (Culinary Arts Program Chair), Jay Zwerin (MCI Central Operations Manager), La Soupe chefs Lee Ransdell and Stephen Williams (both MCI alumni), along with faculty member Nora Beckmann (Humanities & Sciences).
The chefs and culinary students guided the volunteers through the soup-making process, while Christmas music played.
Whitley said, “Our ‘Soup4Cincy’ event provided an opportunity to give back, contribute meaningfully, and support the well-being of our community. It was an honor for the MCI chefs and students, along with other College employees, to serve in this capacity, and we had a great time!”
Sarah Allan (Business faculty) observed, “La Soupe is a great organization, and this volunteer opportunity was a perfect pairing with Cincinnati State. We used MCI’s facilities and the creativity of the culinary students who helped lead each soup-making team, resulting in a fun and fulfilling experience!”
Jayne Dressing (Humanities & Sciences faculty) said, “I love the sense of teamwork I experience when employees can volunteer as a group to help an organization like LaSoupe. It’s a great way to get people out of their offices while getting to know people from other areas of the College and supporting a wonderful cause and local partner.”
Anne Dean (Health & Public Safety faculty) noted, “It was a really good time, I had a blast and made some new friends.”
Don Pollock (CState Complete staff) said, “Contributing to La Soupe and making over 100 gallons of soup was exciting and deeply meaningful. It reminded me of my mother’s work in large kitchens and reinforced how powerful food can be in bringing people together.”
Doug Woodruff (Engineering & Information Technologies faculty) commented, “I had a wonderful time at the ‘Soup4Cincy’ event! It was a pleasure to connect with colleagues outside the office, share good conversations, enjoy festive music, and contribute to a meaningful cause that supports our local Cincinnati community. I’m already looking forward to next year’s event—and the beer and pretzels provided by the Brewing program were an added bonus!”
(Reporting provided by Nora Beckmann. Photos provided by Brittany King)
