Chef Sonya Yelder has been the owner of the Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop in Springfield and chef for nearly 10 years. She likes to have her food and goods mostly made from scratch. She was inspired by spending her summers with her grandmother. She uses the skills she's learned to cook for others. She says “We do some work with churches, like if we have extra food and things, we do that.”
Yelder, one of five kids, was the only one interested in cooking. What really inspired her towards this path was her grandmother and her garden where she spent her summers making things from scratch.
“I spent my summers with my grandmother who lived in the South and that was her daily routine, and she made everything from scratch,” she said.
After spending that time with her grandma, she studied abroad in Europe at Le Cordon Bleu where she learned French and Italian cooking. Later on, she discovered her own style using her southern background in her cooking. She says “so I have a combination of parents, grandparents, school, and formal education.”
Yelder likes being a small business owner. She said she wants to be big enough to survive but not too big that they forget their customers. She also likes the social part of her business.
“I think for the size that we are, we are very supportive of community places around us because of the size we are,” she said.
Yelder also enjoys giving to the community with food — especially schools and churches.
“We do work with churches, like if we have extra sweets and things, we do that. We've done things with the fire department and we've done different things with schools,” she said.
“Chef Sonya” is an experienced cook, baker, and business owner that wants to bring value to her community. She has drawn inspiration from her grandmother and mother for her cooking style and ways of doing things within the community and she hopes to continue sharing her food and hopes everyone will try her food one day.
"See what we're about, try us out, you'll be coming back for the rest of your life,” she said.