It’s not just soup you’ll find at Soup Sunday. The 45th annual event is set for March 1, and while soup is the name of the game, there’s even more love about the event. Restaurants around central Arkansas (and beyond) will be there with mouth-watering sweets, including one of the most iconic desserts in all of Arkansas: the carrot cake from Janssen’s Lakefront Restaurant on Greers Ferry Lake. Soup Sunday committee member Kevin Shalin sat down with owner Tim Janssen to learn a little more about the restaurant and what makes this cake so beloved.
Kevin Shalin: How old is Janssen’s, and how did the restaurant come about?
Tim Janssen: My dad drove all over Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa in 1976 and 1977 looking for a motel to buy. He sought one with an on-site residence so the family could live there as well. He found a place in Edgemont and bought it in January 1978. He moved us down right before Memorial Day weekend. The restaurant was leased out at the time, and those folks operated it seasonally. They built a new restaurant in Greers Ferry, and my dad found a new operator for the restaurant for the 1979 season. They flaked out in May and my family took it over. My folks ran it until the end of 2000, and our entire family all worked there—my mom and dad, brother, sister, and me. My wife, Beth, and I took it over after my folks wanted to step back.
KS: Janssen’s is a seasonal spot. When is it typically opened and closed?
TJ: We open on the last Thursday in January to start taking reservations for Valentine’s Day, and we close at the end of October.
KS: How would you describe your menu?
TJ: We serve Arkansas lake food: steaks, fresh fish when I can get it, comfort chow, a little Cajun, a salad bar (because we’re too lazy to run salads!), a bunch of specials every day to keep something new, and a brunch buffet on Sunday.
KS: You are famous for your cakes. Whose idea was it to make them so big?
TJ: Sysco showed a six-layer carrot cake at the first food show we went to after we took the restaurant over. Beth wanted me to buy it. I found out the price and said nope. We started making the cake six layers from then on. When it gets hot in summer, it’s like cutting a gooey water balloon. I cut 95% of the cakes, in addition to cheesecakes and a variety of pies. I’d say 85% go in boxes because everyone is too full from lunch or dinner.
KS: I personally love your carrot cake. What makes it so good, in your opinion?
TJ: It’s the combination of textures—that creamy cream cheese icing and moist cinnamon spiced cake. It’s our top seller.
KS: This is your first time participating in Soup Sunday. Are you looking forward to wowing the crowd with your carrot cake samples?
TJ: We are proud of the carrot cake and hope everyone enjoys it. I hope it brings people out to support Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.
Central Arkansas Soup Sunday presented by Love, Tito’s is March 1, 2026, at the Jack Stephens Event Center in Little Rock. The event benefits Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Get your tickets here.
