elina's story
It all started
with a desire to heal, a bunch of veggies, spices and herbs from the farmers market and an A-HA! moment.
XO Elina Fuhrman
When people ask me what I do for living, I tell them I’m a SOUP-er Woman. I wear so many hats…I’m a mom, entrepreneur, author, health coach, journalist, food as medicine innovator aka product developer, public speaker AND I cook soup!
Soup is one of my life’s proudest achievements and I have to thank cancer for that. When I received a breast cancer diagnosis in 2009, I declined chemotherapy against my doctors’ orders, and instead made a deal with the Universe that if I figure out a way to survive, I will tell everyone what helped me.
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After decades of working as an international journalist, I decided to treat my cancer-healing journey as my most important assignment, and a health opportunity. I always thought I led a healthy lifestyle, but very quickly I realized that conquering cancer would take much more than what I already knew. On a mission to heal myself, I relied on ancient medicines, like Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine to guide me in learning about the power of herbs, spices and plants, and creating my own blends of therapeutic soups to heal the gut, boost immunity and energy, and so much more.
I ordered every herbal encyclopedia I can get my hands on, and when I realized that all ancient medicines relied on soups to heal, a spark was lit for me. I rolled up my sleeves, sharpened my knives and began discovering, researching, hunting down and cooking my own plant-based soups and broths. But what was special and unique about my soups was that I was simmering my soups, layering the veggies and chaunking the spices to achieve the most tantalizing flavors, open up the medicinal properties, energies and flavors of ingredients. The soups were also meant to be my medicine.
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What I did is combine the best of ancient healing traditions in one bowl. Soup also helped me find awareness of my body, emotions and daily choices; tune into my deepest thoughts, create a balance in my life, and ultimately stop cancer in its tracks. When my doctors pronounced me ‘cured’ just after two years, I cried the tears of joy. And when my tears dried up, I decided that I had to helps others.
After the nudging from my daughters, I created Soupelina (soup + Elina) as a way to share my gourmet magic and knowledge with the world. I went on to pioneer an entirely new category of prescription soups. I’m always asked what I put in my soups because they taste so good. My answer is: love. Sprinkled with magic.
