{image1}Dave Jurena is called "The Soup Nazi" just about every day of his life. It's understandable, considering he's been professionally making and selling soup for years and will open The Soup Market at 2211 S. Kinnickinnic Ave on Tue., Feb. 17.

"I was just called 'The Soup Nazi' 20 minutes ago," Jurena says good-naturedly. "Everybody thinks I've never heard that one before."

Jurena, who started his career as an apprentice at Milwaukee's prestigious Sanford restaurant, had been wholesaling soup under the name The Soup Kitchen and making soup for Bella Caffe in the Third Ward.

Jim Talsky, Bella Caffe owner, is also a Soup Market partner, as is Jim Nolen, and the three Milwaukee natives hope to start ladling tomorrow, February 17, if inspections go well today.

The Soup Market will serve six fresh soups every day. They offer chili, chicken soup and chicken dumpling daily, and rotate a vegetarian soup, a meat soup and a cream soup. Deli sandwiches, salads and Alterra coffee will also be available.

"We'll have a wide range of soup, from chicken noodle to African peanut," says Talsky.

{image2}The Soup Market, like the Soup Kitchen, will also be a wholesale business. La Tarte in Wauwatosa and Brookfield's That Coffee Place are already serving their soups. They will also sell at local farmer's markets, where Jurena and Talksy originally met years ago.

"The retail shop is another place we can showcase our soups to potential wholesalers," says Talsky.

Customers will be able to dine-in or carryout their orders and eventually, they will offer delivery and online ordering at www.thesoupmarket.com.

"People will also be able to use our Web site to read our soup and sandwich selections of the day," says Talsky.

Soup prices will start at $3 a bowl, and all items will fall between $3 and $7.

The owners looked at seven or eight buildings in the Bay View neighborhood before choosing the Kinnickinnic Avenue space. "There are a lot of upscale businesses in the area and a lot of people who are really putting in the effort and energy into the buildings," says Jurena.

As for other soup businesses in Milwaukee, both Jurena and Talsky stress that they are more supportive than competitive. "There's enough business to go around," says Jurena. "I agree with what Jay from the Soup Ladle (4745 S. Packard Ave.) said: 'As long as one of us is taking business away from McDonald's.'"

The Soup Market will be open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will eventually be open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (414) 727-8462 for more information.