Alex Guarnaschelli Thinks This Classic Soup Will Return In 2026
The culinary world is full of trends, whether the focus is on a hot new ingredient, a specific type of cuisine, or a meat-of-the-moment. No course is immune from fads, including soups. Classics like chicken noodle, clam chowder, and tomato soup will surely always have their place at the table, but we've also seen soups like ramen and pho, which are two different soups, explode in popularity. Renowned chef, author, and television host Alex Guarnaschelli believes that, if any soup is going to have a moment in 2026, it's celery soup.
Chowhound caught up with Guarnaschelli at the Bellagio Fountain Club in Las Vegas and she shared, "As far as dishes that need to come back, I'm a big fan of celery soup. I say, for 2026, celery soup is the new French onion soup for fall." She went on to describe her ideal version of the soup as being delicate, opting for onion and shallots over garlic, and a splash of white wine. The chef explained the rest of her method saying, "Add the celery, cook until tender, dot of celery, dot of cream, dot of attitude problem, dot of cayenne, blend, eat."
Indeed, celery soup isn't one that you tend to see often, but once upon a time, the soup was much more popular than it is today, gracing the menus of lots of restaurants, and commonly used as an ingredient in mid-century casseroles.
Celery-based recipes were once considered luxurious
Today, celery is a strong supporting character in the culinary show and rarely the star. It's an essential part of a highly utilized mix of ingredients called mirepoix, stocks, the base of "ants on a log" (which had a much different meaning before it became a snack), a must on any veggie or relish tray, and a staple in Bloody Mary's. But once upon a time, celery was considered a pretty bougie ingredient that many were eager to get their hands on, whether it was in a soup or any other dish. The stalked veggie was considered practically inedible until the 17th century when botanists were able to cultivate mild versions of it that were suitable for cooking, and by the 18th century, records show cooks were combining the veggie with stock, roux, and cream to make soups.
Demand for celery-based recipes hit its peak in the 19th century because the vegetable was considered difficult to grow and, therefore, rare and luxurious. The rich could get their celery fixes at fancy hotels and restaurants for premium prices. Soup giant Campbell's made the taste of celery much more attainable in 1913 when it began selling condensed cream of celery soup. But, in general, condensed soups hardly compare to a soup made from scratch, so if cans were how many people were sampling celery soup, it may have been the exact reason people stopped eating it. If Alex Guarnaschelli's prediction comes true, and celery soup becomes the soup of the moment, with chefs and home cooks making their own delicious version of it, then perhaps the retro soup will once again get the credit it deserves.
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