Staff photo by Adam Urquhart Co-owner of Collins Brothers Chowder Co. Bob Hughes stirs a large pot of cheddar broccoli soup, helping his staff get ready for a busy opening day.

At 59 Temple St., Hughes and his partner, Dan Largy, have been leading the crew in preparing for a new soup and chowder season. The business opens at 10 a.m. today, but Hughes said the phones have been ringing off the hook since the beginning of September.

“The thing with Collins Brothers is that we make the stuff fresh, and when it’s sold out, it’s sold out. We don’t open cans and start making stuff,” Hughes said.

So, in handling each pint with care,

using only the freshest ingredients, these soup connoisseurs have seen many familiar faces through the years, securing many repeat customers for their soups as they move into their 16th year.

Co-owners of Collins Brothers Chowder Co., Bob Hughes and Dan Largy, proudly pose in front of their soup shop just a day before officially opening up for the season. Today marks the first day of their 2018 operations, as they will be cranking out cups of soup and chowder and cravings of most.

“We have the best customers in the world – the most loyal customers,” Hughes said.

He said when customers come in, employees don’t just take their order and serve it to them. Instead, they spark conversation and get to know the members of the community who enjoy their chowder during the season.

With taking pride in the pints and quarts they pump out, Largy and Hughes agree that despite days when a line stretches out the door, wrapping around the building, things generally move fairly quickly.

“We get everyone in and out in three minutes,” Hughes said.

Largy and Hughes understand most people only have 30 minutes for their lunch breaks, so although there may be a line, patrons will find they are walking out the door with soup, oyster crackers, a spoon, napkins and a loaf of bread in-hand in only a short time.

While Collins Brothers continues with the core menu, specials will appear once again this year, with returning favorites and a couple new flavors. The business updates its website – www.collinsbrotherschowder.com – regularly.

“We are going to try out some new soups,” Hughes said. “I know we’re going to do a spicy chicken quesadilla soup; we’re going to make an American chop suey soup with nice hamburg; and elbow macaroni with the green and red peppers. I’ve got some other tricks up my sleeve.

He said one many enjoy is the chicken pot pie, especially on a rainy day when it’s most likely to sell out.

In just one week, Hughes said they go through 300 pounds of potatoes, 200 pounds of carrots, 150 pounds of celery and, perhaps, 60 or 70 pounds of mushrooms.

“We would need a mathematician in here to figure out what we go through,” Hughes said. “We just go through cases and cases of pints.”

With 500 pints in each case, they may serve up to 500 ready-to-go cups in the just one day.

On Wednesday through Saturday, they are open for retail. Instead of a three-day weekend, Largy, Hughes and the staff of about five “premium people,” as Largy describes them, prepare meals for the week ahead. This includes chopping and cooking.

Core menu items served up daily include, broccoli cheddar soup, clam chowder and Texas-style chili just to name a few.

Additionally, one of the most popular specials will be served Friday – a Nantucket seafood chowder. The chowder is packed with hefty portions of haddock, scallops, shrimp and clams. Hughes jokes that a fishing license is needed to eat this chowder that features big pieces in each bite.

For a grab-and-go eatery, the business produces quite a large volume of soup, chowders and also reheatable take-home meals. The reheatable meals change weekly, and include dishes such as Yankee pot roast, shepherd’s pie, lasagna and more.

As people layer up to endure the cold weather ahead, folks at Collins Brothers will be back in the kitchen, ladle in hand, serving up city favorites, such as their clam chowder.

Collins Brothers Chowder Co. hours of operation are: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Adam Urquhart can be reached at 594-1206 or aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.