Souper Bowl (Roadrunner Food Bank) - Albuquerque 2025

Simmering for a cause: Souper Bowl 2025 returns to benefit Roadrunner Food Bank (by Rozanna M. Martinez, published January 30, 2025).
SOUPER BOWL 2025. WHEN: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1. WHERE: Roadrunner Food Bank, 5840 Office Blvd. NE. HOW MUCH: $50 adult, $15 child at rrfb.org/souper-bowl. Online ticket sales end at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 31; tickets at the door day of event, cash and card accepted.
Fill up your bowl and your belly with some of the best soups in town for a good cause. Proceeds benefit the food bank and its efforts to provide food items to people who are struggling to cover their nutritional needs.
Many participating restaurants, culinary professionals and pastry chefs will compete in categories including People’s Choice Soup, Critics’ Choice Soup, People’s Choice Vegetarian Soup, People’s Choice Dessert and People’s Choice Best Booth.
The Critics’ Choice Soup First Place award is named after Larry McGoldrick, a long-time supporter, accomplished food critic, blogger and Yelp contributor who passed away in 2021; a small photo of him is included in the program (Diana Sanchez, event and communications coordinator for Roadrunner Food Bank).
Sanchez: the event is a way to give back to long-time supporters; while tickets are sold because it is a fundraiser, it lets people see the food bank face to face.
About 35 restaurants, including nine new participants, will take part. Full list of participants: rrfb.org/souper-bowl.
It is held in the food bank's warehouse, which not many people get to visit, so guests can see the warehouse and eat soups, all from local restaurants. Everything donated to the silent auction is local, as are the volunteer groups.
More than 1,000 guests are expected.
Souper Bowl went on hiatus in 2021 and 2022, came back in 2023, 2024 was its second year, and it has been growing ever since; this one might be the largest yet since being back.
Proceeds from every ticket sold benefit Roadrunner Food Bank: they help offset operating costs, purchase food and pay staff salaries. Every $1 helps provide up to five meals. The food bank buys bulk produce rejected by stores, reaches further into New Mexico and develops wraparound services like SNAP applications and Medicaid. It serves a majority of the state, hopes to reach more tribal areas and rural food deserts, brings food to health care provider sites and runs an on-site medical referral food pantry, touching the lives of 70,000 hungry people each week.
Photos (Jessica Baca) from the 2024 Souper Bowl on Feb. 3, 2024: the People's Choice Soup winner was an Okinawa purple sweet potato soup from Shamrock Foods; guests Jan Fike, Julie and Jim Goodding, and Nova Martinez sampling soups and desserts.

11 am to 2 pm. About 35 restaurants including nine new ones; more than 1,000 guests expected. Awards: People's Choice Soup, Critics' Choice Soup (first place named for the late food critic Larry McGoldrick), People's Choice Vegetarian Soup, People's Choice Dessert, People's Choice Best Booth. Silent auction. The event paused in 2021 and 2022, returned in 2023.