Writer: Stephanie Maxwell Newton
Soup Sunday organizers honor Little Rock restaurateur Dave Williams with namesake award
For 44 years, Soup Sunday has drawn hundreds to taste soups from area restaurants while supporting Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families—and it always culminates with the presentation of the Golden Ladle, a trophy bestowed to the people’s choice winner. Now, that award bears the name of one of Soup Sunday’s longest-running participants: Dave Williams.
As the owner of Dave’s Place, a casual downtown Little Rock diner open from 1993 to 2023, Dave never missed a Soup Sunday. The mission at the heart of the fundraiser has always been important to him. “My mom was a major supporter,” Dave says of the nonprofit, which was founded in 1977 and advocates for policy changes that support Arkansas children. “It’s something we talked about my whole life; you take care of people,” he says. “Children are the future, and you should make sure everyone has a fair shake. That’s what I’ve tried to teach my kids.”
Like many area chefs, Dave got his start at the French fine dining restaurant Jacques & Suzanne. “When Soup Sunday started, we were one of the first restaurants to get involved. We made our green peppercorn chili,” Dave recalls. He went on to work in the kitchens at Graffiti’s, Alouette’s, Maison Louis, and the Terrace; meanwhile, he had also started a family and was growing weary of long restaurant hours. “I opened my own place to be my own boss,” he says with a laugh. In deciding what kind of restaurant he wanted to helm, Dave landed on a lunch spot, allowing him to schedule his work around his life instead of the other way around. He would drop the kids off at school then head to the restaurant for lunch service. After school, Dave’s kids could hang out in the booths and do their homework.
Similarly, Soup Sunday became a family tradition. Dave served his signature soup—tomato bisque—and loved ones took turns ladling samples for attendees while catching up. “It’s been really fantastic to see familiar faces over the years,” Dave’s son, Dave Williams II, says. “Because I’ve grown up around it my entire life, it’s almost like a family reunion. As a restaurateur, he didn’t get to go to a lot of other restaurants because you’re all open at the same time. It’s nice to be at an event where you’re all supporting the same cause together.”
Health complications led Dave to close the restaurant in 2023, meaning the following year was his first in more than three decades not to prepare an enormous batch of tomato bisque for the event. Yet he and his family still showed up to support their industry friends and the cause. Kevin Shalin, food blogger and committee member at the time, took note. This year, as co-chair, he and the rest of the event’s leadership decided Dave was due an official salute for his commitment. “In the restaurant world, to do anything for 30 years is darn near impossible,” Kevin says. “Our committee felt it was important to honor him.”
The Dave Williams Golden Ladle Award was presented at the event on March 3 to the team from Little Rock’s So Restaurant & Bar, the winners of the people’s choice award. “It was very touching,” Dave says of the decision to name the award after him. “I don’t do this for recognition—I never have. But my family is extremely proud of me, so I’m proud of it.”
Dates have already been set for 2026, so mark your calendar now: Northwest Arkansas Soup Sunday is February 1 and Central Arkansas Soup Sunday is
March 1. Find out more about Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families
at aradvocates.org.
