By Patricia Fenn

Special to The Sentinel

On Tuesday, Athena Hernandez and her father opened a family run-business, the Original SoupMan, in University Town Center, next to Giffords.

The corporate owner, Al Yeganeh of New York City, is famous for inspiring the "Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld, who famously declared: "No soup for you!" Instead employees wear black T-shirts with rules printed on the back: "Pick the soup you want; Have your money ready: Move to the extreme left after ordering." The allusion seems lurking, however, "No soup for you! End of the line!"

Hernandez, 40 and her father, James Ware, have assembled an impressive gathering of relatives and family friends to operate the business, including Ware's wife, Theresa; his paternal aunts: Flay Gray; and Alberta Campbell; his daughter, Dominique Cobb, 32; his son, Jaware Ware, 22 and son-in-law, Ray, husband of Hernandez. Grandmother Henrietta Jones, 97, was on hand for the grand-opening, as well, Hernandez pointed out.

Hernandez also starts a new job next week as director of pubic relations for the Washington Convention Center, but will be on-site in the evenings and weekends as the franchise co-owner. A third business partner is family friend Michael Turner.

Although a newlywed living with Ray in Virginia, Hernandez grew up in the county and feels connected to Prince George's, also having served as director of public relations for the Prince George's County Public Schools.

"I lived most of my life in Prince George's County. My roots are here." Hernandez says.

She and her father have the same entrepreneurial spirit. Together they went to a franchise conference and were blown away by the taste of Yeganeh's soup. She says they instantly felt it was something that they liked and could manage.

Hernandez says she's pleased to now have a business in Prince George's County.

"There's no soup stores quite so unique." she says, as it is one of 10 retail shops in the University Town Center and located next to Wild Onion, a restaurant that features organic soups.

The Original SoupMan, located in the county's newest urban hub next to a movie theatre, a student apartment and soon-to-be completed condo units, sells a variety of over 50 soups, alternating daily.

In the summer, there are five chilled soups to pick from.

"It's healthy. It's made fresh," she says. "The soups are flash frozen and shipped from New Jersey." There are very visible vegetables. Also, the lobster bisque does not skimp on the lump meat. "The sandwiches", Hernandez says, "are made fresh to order every day."

Every day, there is a seafood soup, a meat/poultry soup and a vegetarian/vegan soup available, Hernandez says.

It's very important that there's always a veg-friendly soup available, she says. Her father is vegetarian. "When we selected this company, that aspect was a selling

point for us."

And selling, it is: The store opened last Thursday and served 250 people on the first day of business. "And there were more people on Friday," Hernandez said. At lunchtime, customers were in a line that stretched out the door and around the corner. Hernandez says workers in the area who have sampled the soups are now hooked.

This shop is the 37th nationwide, according to Doug Balster, production manager and one of Yeganeh's direct assistants for the last three years, has been on hand all week to assist in the opening. Balster, 28, who was the former production director for Rutgers University, is having a lot more fun with SoupMan, he said.

A lot of people know the SoupMan from the infamous "Soup Episode" on Seinfeld. In the show the soup restaurant and its owner, the Soup Nazi, was inspired by the SoupMan. Hernandez says the store in New York is really like the show: Customers must know in advance what they want and they must have their money out or else, "No soup for you." However Hernandez says her store is not like that.

"You can loosen up in my store." She talks with customers and encourages her staff to learn their customers, too.

The town center has been home since the 1960s to state and federal agencies and potential soup customers: National Center for Health Statistics, GSA, Financial Management Services and the Department of Social Services, University Town Center tenants are drawn from diverse segments of the community. Tenants include institutions advancing education, arts, music, technology, medicine, science and more. Other UTC tenants include Prince George's Community College; University of Maryland University College; centers for the arts; a music school; many medical and dental offices; and the Business Technology Growth Center, an incubator for start up companies, according to its Web site and Property Manager Chris Irving.

Finally, in affirmation of their desire to give back, Henandez will be donating $1,500 to the Capital Area Food Bank and conducting a 'Soup for Life" Raffle drawing.

Sentinel staff writer Stephanie Samuel contributed to this report.