Man uses diabetes diagnosis to inspire business concept

Say goodbye to fried chicken, burgers and pizza. The newest fast meal option for Sun City Summerlin residents just got bigger.

Sun City Summerlin is the pilot market for a new business, The Souper Bowl, which brings a nutritious soup-and-salad meal direct to homes. Once the business is running on automatic, the company plans to offer it in Siena, another retirement community in Summerlin.

The soup recipe was created by founder James Denney, who, along with his business partner, Gabriel Donohue, delivers the pre-made food targeted at older residents.

Denney, 62, got the idea after he and his wife, Marilyn, were diagnosed with diabetes. He went online to learn more and saw the startling statistics.

"I did a lot of research and learned one out of every three persons 55 or older is either type 1, type 2 or borderline diabetic," he said. "So, basically, anyone in Sun City Summerlin, if they look to the person on their left or right, between the three of them, one of them is diabetic."

The Souper Bowl uses a co-op kitchen on South Rainbow Boulevard to cook up the meals, which is done just before they start their four-hour delivery shifts. Its business model dictates that it operates as delivery only and without a website, at least for now.

The meal - only one variety is currently available - includes a salad, a whole wheat roll and 24 ounces of soup.

"It's probably about the best combination of grains, legumes, protein, etc., that you can pack into 392 calories," Denney said. "We're using wild rice from Minnesota and barley and all kinds of veggies - corn, peas, celery, carrots, which have all your vitamin groups - we're using garbanzo beans, which are high in fiber, and white boneless chicken breast ... we're big on beans. They're good for you."

Per health codes, the soup is delivered at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below. It needs only a quick reheat. The soup cup is microwaveable and biodegradable.

Instead of operating a delivery system where one or two orders go out and the driver returns for the next couple of deliveries, The Souper Bowl pre-makes its food that day, then sets up its delivery people to be within the community with the product. Its minivans are equipped with space-age insulated food carriers that keep the food cold.

As orders come in, the delivery people are notified and, after a quick check of the map, delivery begins. "Fast food" may be an ambiguous term ---- the speed limit in Sun City is 30 mph.

Besides already having the delivery person in the neighborhood, The Souper Bowl has another difference in its business model: It operates only late in the day into the evening. Orders are taken from 4:15 to 8:30 p.m. every day except Tuesdays, and deliveries are made from 4:30 to 8:45 p.m. The meal costs $7.50, tax included.

Donohue had delivery duty this day. He said about 30 percent of the orders are for two people. He had the air conditioning blasting in his van as he made deliveries on a 105-degree day.

"In truth, we probably should have waited until October, but we had to refine our process," Donohue said. "Going from making it at home to making it in an industrial kitchen is a big step. So there were a lot of kinks that had to be worked out."

Donohue and his son, Shawn, moved here from Southern California and will work the day-to-day operations.

Sun City resident Barbara Dorway said she saw the ad in Sun City Summerlin's monthly magazine and then forgot about it until there was a flier left on her door. It prompted her to order two meals, one for her and one for her husband, David.

"We're in the security patrol, and we drive tonight, so it was just faster to do this," she said.

Another patron, Larry Beers, said he normally gets burgers for fast food. He was a repeat Souper Bowl customer and said it was a good idea to have a healthy alternative that filled him up.

Denney came up with the concept about six years ago and worked to set up the business. The Souper Bowl also has a charity aspect to it, as it has reached out to U.S. Vets, 525 E. Bonanza Road, and plans to provide nutritious meals to its inhabitants.

Denney projected that if only 2.6 percent of Sun City Summerlin residents placed orders once a month, or 2,500 bowls, that would allow the company to feed all 137 vets at U.S. Vets a meal once a month.

On Aug. 30, days prior to officially opening, the company did a trial run and served 140 vets.

"Our mission is to feed these people," Denney said. "The more that we can sell, the more that we can feed them."

Once all the kinks are worked out, the next target market is the Del Webb Anthem community and with it another charity, likely the Shade Tree shelter, which helps women in crisis.

The Souper Bowl can be reached at 822-6166.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.