Sometimes, people in Eugene live in the past. When talking about the food scene, it doesn’t take long for someone to mourn the departed, whether it’s lamenting the loss of Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen, the decline of fro-yo or the seeming decline of good soup made in the western European tradition. 

Soup isn’t quite gone yet. Sure, we don’t have that one-stop soup shop anymore (RIP Soupnation), but between Eugene and Springfield restaurants and delis, the reports of the death of soup were greatly exaggerated. 

Amoré Italian Bistro in Springfield, which opened in April 2024, is owner Julie Agan’s and chef Ted Hutchins’ first foray into the restaurant world. Hutchins says he’s long had a passion for cooking, the sort of person who shows up to a potluck with about a half-dozen plates of dishes. 

Hutchins has spent most of his life living in Eugene-Springfield, and he has a deep memory of eateries in town. And his menu reflects those influences. He pays homage to The Cannery’s Parmesan-cheese-encrusted sourdough bread on his Reuben sandwich. He also works on keeping the spirit of the Cart de Frisco through a specialty sandwich made with toasted onion buns, plum sauce, marinated slaw and marinated chicken all topped off with peanut sauce. 

“You have multiple layers of flavor to this, and I love it,” he says. 

As the only person in the kitchen, his dedication to soup is an extra task among his morning pile of to-dos. He gets to the restaurant around 3:30 am to start on the restaurant’s cinnamon rolls and other baked goods. After several hours preparing the bakery and morning prep, he gets to the soup around 9 am. 

Like his dedication to continuing some older Eugene restaurant traditions, Hutchins hopes to fill the void that Soupnation left behind. By opening Amoré, he’s working on making a soup haven. He keeps a deep roster of soups on file, though limited to offering three a day: a tomato cheese bisque, a minestrone and a specialty soup that he cycles. 

It’s a deep rotation that includes chicken corn chowder, broccoli cheddar, loaded potato — and more. What Hutchins says he’s aiming for is to offer soups that you can’t necessarily find elsewhere. You may be able to find a premade version of Mama Leone’s at Market of Choice or a Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden, but Hutchins wants Amoré to be the place where you can find these homemade versions of the soup at a restaurant. 

Sometimes grabbing a quart of soup before heading home might require a bit of improvisation that restaurants might not be the best spot for. And that’s why while we’re talking about soups, we can’t neglect two of the heavy hitters for hot soup: Kiva Deli and Grocery and Sundance Natural Foods, both of which have long been affordable spots for a variety of soup offerings. 

But sometimes the best friend for a bowl of soup is a pint of beer. 

Gratitude Brewing sous chef Brandon Lang and head chef Scott Gummow have about 60 years of experience of running a restaurant. And for Lang, there are two things that he’s found marks a good chef: knowing the ins and outs of egg manipulation and how to make a good soup. 

“It’s an opportunity to create something out of nothing,” Lang says. Whether it’s basing a soup on the weather or seasonally available produce, soup making is a chance to showcase creativity and flavor profiles. 

Working at a brewery, the beer has to play a major role, Lang says. He and Gummow incorporate the brewery’s porters and stouts to chilis and pale ales or lagers into a beer cheese, for example. “It’s celebrating our beautiful craft that our brewers are spending so much time on,” he adds. 

Lang says he and Gummow work to mentor the learning cooks in the Gratitude kitchen. Soup is a dish that allows a cook to hone techniques and learn the balances of the major elements of cooking: salt, acid, fat — and in this case — brothiness. 

“Soup is forgiving,” he says. “As long as you’re not burning or scorching the ingredients, you just have to adjust the recipe by diluting it or seasoning it more.” 

And with help from Lang and Gummow, making it to the soup du jour menu is a somewhat democratic process. Lang says a recent Italian polenta and bacon soup was made by a younger cook on the line.

“It has a northeastern Italian profile and some blistered tomatoes and torn basil,” Lang says. “It’s something his nona made him, and the soup has that comfortability of eating at grandma’s house.” 

As a leader in the kitchen, Lang says he’s always tried to be a teacher to his cooks. The art of food is steeped in tradition and like the restaurants of yesterday, he recognizes he too won’t be around forever but that maybe what he’s picked up over time will be passed down. 

“We’re influenced by the past but also become that next wave of nostalgia,” Lang says. “Eating is a hallmark of human culture. We celebrate other cultures and we honor them.” 

Amoré Italian Bakery and Bistro is at 2108 Main Street, Springfield. Hours are 7 am to 3 pm Tuesday, 7 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Saturday, 7 am to 2 pm Sunday, and closed Monday. AmoreBistroBakery.net and find on Facebook and Instagram. 

Gratitude Brewing is at 540 E 8th Avenue. Hours are noon to 9 pm Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 pm Friday and Saturday. GratitudeBrewing.com and find on Instagram and Facebook.