Editor's Note: One of the goals of NEPM's Media Lab is to collaborate with the NEPM newsroom and Masslive.com to give high school and college students in Greater Springfield an opportunity to practice the skills needed to become multi-media journalists.
These community leader profiles were written by the 2025 summer cohort of Media Lab youth producers — high school students learning about interviewing, photographing, filming and writing. Of all the articles written this summer four were chosen to be highlighted on the NEPM website homepage.
Next up is Media Lab Youth Media Producer Dianeliz Irizarry's interview with Chef Sonya Yelder, owner of Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop in Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood.
Sonya Yelder recently visited New England Public Media to give her insight on cooking and tell us about her journey and experience as the owner of Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop in Springfield.
Yelder is a chef and owner of the sandwich shop at 929 Belmont Ave., in Springfield’s Forest Park neighborhood. She studied at Le Cordon Bleu London and was a chef at Smith College before opening her shop.
Yelder, or “Chef Sonya” as she’s often called, also went to school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she discovered her love for cooking. Yelder initially started out in a political science major going into law. During her time there, she took a hospitality course.
“I think hospitality changed the course of my life, which is interesting," she said, adding that it's where she figured out she wanted to cook for a living.
To Yelder, bringing it back to the basics is important. She recalls watching her grandmother cook everything from scratch when she was growing up. Yelder said she wants her restaurant to be a place full of laughter and kindness; a place where you can meet new people and share experiences together. Yelder also wanted it to be a place where people can step out of their comfort zone and try new things.
“If it tastes the same, it's out of a can,” Yelder said when explaining the art of practice in cooking.
She introduces dishes with multiple flavors that she said may seem unlikely, but actually blend well. Her dishes are very dietary inclusive and allergy friendly, which attracts diverse consumers.
“I think it's important that she has options for people who have allergies,” said Sarah Gill, an NEPM Media Lab college intern, after trying one of Yelder's sandwiches with gluten-free bread.
“Chef Sonya” also talked about her experience as a student at Le Cordon Bleu London. There she had to adjust from her courses being in English to them being in French, a language she was new to. This caused her to move to London where most of her apprenticeships started and where she developed new skills.
“I think that anytime you learn a skill, its growth. So, I think every time I learn a new skill, I’m proud of that because it means that I'm continuing to grow,” she said.
