Stew-pendous! St. Charles Restaurant’s Vegan French Onion Soup Nabs National PETA Award
For Immediate Release:
December 3, 2025
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
Stirring up compassion! As temperatures dip and people seek warm comfort foods to get them through the winter, PETA is announcing its picks for the nation’s 10 best plant-powered soups and stews with its Souper Vegan Awards—and St. Charles’ own La Vie Vegan has made the list. The vegan eatery’s Soupe De France is a rich and savory French onion soup featuring caramelized onions cooked in vegetable stock and served with a vegan and gluten-free crouton au gratin.
La Vie Vegan’s Soupe De France
“La Vie Vegan has created a delicious French onion soup that’s kind to animals and provides comfort and warmth in each spoonful,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “Every winner on PETA’s awards list shows how easy it is to make a soup-erb stew or soup that leaves animals in peace and keeps everyone feeling nicely nourished.”
Cows develop friendships over time, chickens form complex social structures, and pigs show empathy for other pigs who are happy or distressed—but in today’s meat, egg, and dairy industries, the animals are raised in filthy, crowded conditions, trucked to slaughterhouses through all weather extremes, and violently killed. In addition to sparing nearly 200 animals every year, each person who goes vegan also bolsters their own health, as vegans are less likely to suffer from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.
La Vie Vegan will receive a framed award certificate from PETA along with bragging rights. Other winners include Half-Peach Bakery & Cafe in Louisville, KY; Asempe Kitchen in Ithaca, NY; and Revolutionary Soup in Charlottesville, VA.
La Vie Vegan is located at 524 S. Main St. in St. Charles and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
