LEWISTON— For Stefanie and Stephan Pike of Turner, opening Hometown Soup & Salad on Lisbon Street was an easy decision.

The couple have operated Hometown Nutrition right next door for two years, almost as long as the idea for the eatery had been simmering.

Hometown Soup & Salad opened March 3 at 884 Lisbon St., but the consistent traffic of customers betrays any idea of it being new.

“We just had this concept tucked into our back pocket,” said Stefanie Pike, originally of Auburn. “Sometimes, people just need a hot soup to feel better.”

According to Pike, Hometown Nutrition, which sells Herbalife products such as shakes and teas, receives more than 100 customers a day, almost the same amount coming into the eatery since it opened.

When not running either business, Pike works for Anthem. She previously worked as a nurse at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center for 10 years.

The eatery serves soups made by Hurricane’s Premium Soup & Chowder, a family-owned business from Greene that started as a deli and now sells their soups wholesale to clients across the country and around the globe, along with fresh salad and crepe sandwiches made on-site.

“We wanted to do crepe sandwiches because it’s different. Being a French-Canadian community, it’s something that the town’s familiar with,” said Pike. The sandwiches are named after local hockey teams and terms.

Pike’s relationship with Hurricane’s owners isn’t the only strong business tie in the community that makes Hometown special: Blackie’s Farm Fresh Produce supplies the eatery with ingredients for their dishes, and is the supplier for Hometown Nutrition as well.

Working closely with other businesses in the area strengthens the idea of community, which the eatery is eager to promote, Pike says.

“You give someone your money, and you know where the money is going,” said Pike.

“Big vendors, sometimes you need them, but it’s not personal. (That’s) important to us,” said Pike.

The emphasis on togetherness began to germinate as Hometown Nutrition switched to curbside service during the pandemic and Pike saw the rallying spirit of her customers and team members (she abhors the term “employees”), vowing to expand on that culture in the restaurant and make customers feel at home — hence the name.

This hominess is palpable in the atmosphere of the eatery. Pike’s husband, formerly a contractor by trade, built the tables and bar by hand, buying the corresponding black chairs wholesale. Kitchen equipment and other technology came from businesses closed during the pandemic.

“We want it to be a brand where people can feel like they’re at home: sit and work, sit and talk, sit and cry if you want, we’re here,” said Pike as she described a customer who called to check if they could bring food from home for their son with autism. After dining at Hometown the parents messaged them saying it was “the best day ever.”

“That’s what we want here,” said Pike.

Pike hopes to partner with Kaydenz Kitchen Food Pantry in Lewiston, moving forward on providing meal vouchers and combatting forms of food insecurity in the Lewiston-Auburn area.

“Yes, that is definitely important. When people look good and feel good and feel safe, they tend to have a good day. Even if it’s a hot cup of tomato soup, that may be what they need to get through another day on the street,” said Pike.

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