Sarah Khoshaba, known in the local food scene for her time selling soup under the moniker Soup Queen BK, now has a new more permanent window at Farewell Bar. This new venture is called Gunther’s, which she’s named after her dog. It’s the latest version of the soup business that Khoshaba began on Instagram in 2020. At first a side hustle during lockdown that consisted of filling custom soup orders, along with crafting her own weekly rotation of soups, it eventually progressed into a full time gig. Khoshaba soon began to work pop-up events at a number of local bars, including 101 Wilson Bar, The Sampler BK and The Wandering Barman. Fast forward to last month and Soup Queen BK is now here and has even more soup.
But beyond the soup, Khoshaba’s menu now includes sandwiches like “the kithy,” named for Khoshaba’s sister, it allegedly packs two fired eggs, ricotta, crispy fried shallots, chili oil and a house-made tamari ginger aioli on a brioche bun that comes from a local bakery brand called native braed. There’s also “the akio,” a sandwich that comes with a soft and fluffy three egg omelet, cheddar cheese and housemade cajun mayo with a choice of bacon or avocado. Both cost $12. For $10, you can get “the Gunther,” which contains spinach, a marinated tomato on sourdough that comes drizzled with hot honey. Notable sides include a $9 plate of shishito peppers.
Two soups per week will be available from Khoshaba’s spring/summer menu, which include cold sesame udon, elote with tequila lime shrimp, thai summer squash amongst others. One of the soups that has made a recent appearance at Gunther’s, thus far, includes her take on a gumbo with shrimp, which comes with andouille sausage and rotisserie chicken.
“I’m learning how to delegate roles and responsibilities to others,” Khoshaba told me. One of those employees is Brandon Wolf, who explained his job at Gunther’s was to maximize space inside the small kitchen. For instance, he said installed some shelves.
There’s also a line of bakery items that include croissants, quiches and muffins. These are sold until around 5 p.m. by baristas that Khoshaba’s hired, who include Mishelle Chung. Chung tells me “I honestly love working at Gunther’s.” She describes Khoshaba as “a great boss” that gives her “creative freedom with the beverages.”
Khoshaba also plans to facilitate events in conjunction with Farewell Bar. She mentioned the bar recently ran a Mother’s Day event earlier this month that ended up being good business for Gunther’s. Khoshaba said she’s hopeful she’ll be able to eventually land some weddings too.
Khoshaba says that she’s popular outside the restaurant too and claims to have attracted a loyal customer base with her Soup Queen BK brand. She says people have eagerly followed her around from her early days crafting homemade soups inside the walls of her Bushwick apartment. Chung testified to this, adding: “I love working for startups and helping.”
Gunther’s at Farewell is located at 143 Troutman St. and is open on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Top image taken by Kylie Becker for Bushwick Daily.
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