Walter Sidden turns to ital soup after sugar got sour

Three years ago when Walter Sidden's lost his crop of sugar cane, the farmer decided to take a break and venture into the culinary field. Today, he operates a successful mobile soup business from the back of his tractor in Turners district, Clarendon.

"Is 40 years me plant cane for, and the sugar cane company tell me to cut it, and them would come pick it up. But they didn't [pick it up], and so the entire ting spoil, so me just decide say me a go do other tings," he said.

Sidden said that he often parks his tractor at the cross road in the community and persons would come for a cup of his $60 soup.

"Mi no eat meat, so my soup ital, but the people dem love it. Me want bout 20 more hands to sell it more time. Is mostly Friday me sell, but sometimes me do it during the week, too. Me is a Sabbath keeper, so me lock off early on a Friday evening, but me always go home with an empty pot. Sometimes all two time for the day me have to cook," he said.

Weight-loss journey

Sidden's soup is a favourite for taxi drivers, one of whom told the CENTRAL STAR that it has helped him on his weight-loss journey.

"Me is a man who love eat the swine dem and the doctor did tell me say me have on too much weight, and me all start breath short," a taxi driver said.

He added: "Daytime, a bare a dem man yah soup me buy and me slim down yah now. Me nuh miss meat at all, me na lie."