The Soup Lady: Aundra Lafayette

By Layton Byrd / Photography By Brooke Stevens | November 02, 2017

Aundra aka "the Soup Lady" in her kitchen

Aundra Lafayette believes in soup; so much, that years ago she affectionately nicknamed herself, “The Soup Lady” and it stuck. Aundra’s lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle found a natural medium in soup. Since 2010, she has been making seasonal, nutrition-packed soups from the comfort of her kitchen and selling them at farmers markets and to folks around town. A Nashville native, and a former international dancer and teacher, her thoughtful soups are inspired by the creative life she has lead. “I like color in my soups” she says, tossing some bright red and green peppers into the fragrant rosemary chicken broth. Cooking is a very creative process for her. For a while, she was pushing herself to invent a new soup every day.

Aundra has an easy warmth about her that makes you feel like you’ve been friends for years. Her soup works that way too, recalling the comfortable tastes of childhood, but adding nutritious twists with herbs and spices that she intentionally chooses for optimal wellness.

Sensitive to her customers, she always has a vegetarian option—she’s currently working on a Cream of Mushroom soup—sans cream—using cashew milk she makes by soaking the nuts overnight. She loves using local vendors; her mushrooms are from her “mushroom man,” Jim Day of Timbertop Farm. Keep an eye out, too, around this season for her detox soups. A perfect way to recover from a little holiday indulgence.

Smiling her inviting smile, she told me she’s “feeling forward” thinking about the future. Her next venture includes an idea for a Soup Bar. Her ever sunny disposition and self-starter mentality makes you believe that whatever she puts her mind to will come to fruition. She can already taste it. So can we.

You can find Aundra's soups saturday mornings at The Richland Farmers Market , Tuesdays at the East Nashville Farmers Market and Thursday evenings at The St. George's Farmers Market