New York City's "original soup man", spoofed on the TV sitcom Seinfeld, is looking to franchise and an Ottawa lawyer wants to make certain the capital isn't left out. Just don't mention the "N" word.

Chef Al Yeganeh is the soup man's true name. While he may not be quite as dictatorial with his customers as his despised "Soup Nazi" alter ego on Seinfeld, he doesn't shy away from proclaiming his gourmet soups the best in the world and stating boldly, "I set the standard".

His legendary "Soup Kitchen", at 259 W. 55th St. New York, is now the heart of a larger company called Soup Kitchen International, created to franchise the gourmet soups across North America.

While the soup chef is a one-of-a-kind pitchman for his products, the seasoned executive at the head of the company is CEO John Bello.

Mr. Bello is the co-founder and former chief executive of the South Beach Beverage Co., better known as SoBe. In May 2001, PepsiCo. paid an estimated US$370 million to acquire majority control of SoBe and its line of herbal fruit, energy and tea drinks.

It was the combination of a product without reproach and a successful entrepreneur in Mr. Bello that attracted the interest of local lawyer Brian McAsey, who wants to bring a Soup Kitchen franchise to Canada.

At this point, discussions about a Canadian franchise in either Ottawa or Toronto are at a preliminary stage between Soup Kitchen and Mr. McAsey's group of business partners.

But what makes a lawyer working as an in-house counsel take a serious run at becoming a gourmet soup franchisee?

Mr. McCasey said it all began a couple of months ago, when he read an article about the company's plan to franchise.

"It tweaked my interest on a Saturday morning because I'd actually been in New York and had some of that soup," Mr. McAsey said. "Just in the back of my mind it was something that I felt was really quite amazing, that otherwise sane, sophisticated New Yorkers who wouldn't wait three minutes for a table at an exclusive restaurant were willing to wait, like, an hour in line. And I was thinking, there's some magic going on."

For customers at the New York City location, the premium soup costs about US$30 a quart (It does come in various other sizes.)

Mr. McAsey proceeded to research Mr. Yeganeh on the web and, despite thousands of relevant hits, couldn't find a single criticism about the quality of the soups.

"That's what did it for me. That's what tweaked my serious interest."

After more research, he sent a letter to Soup Kitchen's management about the likelihood of the franchise coming to Canada and was invited to come down.

Soup Kitchen International's plan, as Mr. McAsey has learned as a prospective franchisee, is to have all 40 or so of Soup Kitchen's trademark soups still made under Chef Yeganeh's direct supervision. The soup would then be chilled and shipped to the franchisees. Only six or seven soups would be available on the menu on any given day.

"So you're basically getting precisely and exactly the same product that folks are waiting for an hour or more in line in New York. That's what got me interested," Mr. McAsey said.

At this point, he and his partners are in preliminary talks about being an area developer for Canada. The initial focus would be on the Toronto and Ottawa markets and would expand from there. The two pioneer markets would remain the central locations for the Canadian network and serve as the training ground. At this point, the franchise fee is a relatively modest US$30,000, plus royalties.

Mr. McAsey acknowledges his group isn't alone. Recent media coverage about the franchise plan has provoked a lot of interest from this side of the border. He believes the low-cost kiosk concept planned for the franchise, with outlets located downtown in high-traffic areas, will draw a lot of interest.

"Whether it proceeds with me or with other people, I think it's terrific. He (Chef Yeganeh) really seems to love Canada, by the way... that's another thing, I think, in favour of the fact that he will be establishing his soup business here."

The soup man has been in business for 20 years and enjoyed big lineups for his soup long before he was spoofed on Seinfeld, Mr. McAsey added.

It's no secret the soup man scorns his Seinfield alter ego and doesn't care to capitalize on the connection.

In a recent interview on FoxNews with Neil Cavuto, Chef Yeganeh said the "Soup Nazi" moniker is "very offensive to me and all over the world".

"The people don't like to hear that. That was a crime that happened and we don't want to cash in on that crime and connect it to the Holocaust."

He stressed he doesn't need the publicity generated by the Seinfeld character or any other pop culture reference to grow the business.

"I have the best product on the whole planet and I've been having great business," he told FoxNews. "I had great business before 1990 ... a huge line before Seinfeld. I was doing great. I'm doing great. And I don't need his publicity or his name on my product."

To check out the soup man, visit www.originalsoupman.com