On virgo hospitality, the importance of staying local, and beet borscht.
In conversation with Liz Alpern founder of Queer Soup Night
Liz Alpern is the creator of Queer Soup Night. Founded in 2017, QSN has hosted over 200 events across the world and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars (currently crunching the numbers on the final count) for about 225 organizations. Each of their events features incredible, chef-made soups, loving queer community vibes, and fundraising for a local organization. Queer Soup Night is sexy, wholesome, and justice-centric all at once. “Who doesn’t love soup?!”
Liz organizes their NYC events and works with a network of chefs and organizers across the country to bring the QSN model to life in different cities.
Outside of breaking bread, she is a cookbook author, teacher, and small business operations director.
Stay in the loop with QSN’s upcoming events via their Instagram and Website.
🍲 On swapping substances for soup
Back when Trump was elected for the first time, it felt particularly important to create safe spaces for queers and to raise funds for organizations that were doing vital community work. I had ALWAYS wanted to throw a soup party, and so in January 2017, the timing was right, and the people loved it. There weren't a ton of spaces back then where queer people could party without a focus on drinking/substances and late nights, so QSN definitely helped fill a gap in the party scene.
If I want to see/experience something, I know that other people want that too. When Queer Soup Night first started, I didn't know that people would be as enthusiastic about soup as I was. But I LOVED soup, so it was worth trying. Turns out that soup really hits a nerve for a lot of people as an organizing principle. Folks just get it, and somewhere, deep inside, I knew they would because a party centered on soup and community was all I ever wanted.
🐱 On shacking up
In my early 20s I used to go to Catty Shack, a gay bar in Brooklyn. I remember the first time I walked in. I felt completely overwhelmed with the joy of being surrounded by hot dykes on the dance floor. That feeling of coming home left an impression on me and inspires me to create events that can offer that feeling.
♍️ On Virgo hospitality
I love responsiveness! It doesn't mean that folks need to respond immediately. But when I send out a message I absolutely love working with someone that gets back with a thorough and thoughtful response, answers questions, etc. I'm such a Virgo logistics hospitality person that I am so obsessed with people who are on that same wavelength of communication.
🏠 On the importance of staying local
On a couple of occasions, we’ve raised funds for neighborhood-based mutual aid orgs. These have been particularly meaningful collaborations because these orgs are doing super direct work, and every single dollar gets passed on to the community where our event was being held.
🌈 On putting integrity first
We’ve worked with a couple of brands over the years. In those cases, the brands have made significant donations to non-profits on our behalf, and the brand’s resources have allowed us to host more elaborate events. For example, in 2019, we worked with Showtime to host a launch party for the L-Word, Generation Q. Showtime rented a huge venue, covered the cost of food and drink, gave out swag, and made a very large donation to a local org. It was an incredible event. We never seek out opportunities like that - it’s simply not our focus, but if they come our way, we evaluate them to ensure that the overall integrity, structure, and feeling of our events can remain intact, even with brand involvement.
👶 On picking a favorite child
I don’t have a favorite soup- that’s like picking my favorite child. But one of my faves is the beet borscht I originally developed for a queer cookbook. You can find it on this website.