Tucked into Mill Village on Boston Post Road, Duck Soup has been part of the fabric of Sudbury,MA since 1971 — and this year, the beloved specialty shop is marking 55 years in business with a month of celebration throughout October.
Where It All Began
Duck Soup was founded in 1971 by Richard Ressler and Jim Barisano, and from the start, it was built to be a little different. The founders envisioned a place where neighbors could reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, sample something before buying it, and pick up a new recipe along the way — a slower, more personal kind of shopping experience. That spirit is baked into the name itself: Duck Soup was chosen because it could mean anything, holding space for a store that was never meant to fit neatly into one category.
More than five decades later, that vision still holds. Duck Soup remains one of the longest continuously operating retail stores in Sudbury, and it’s still delightfully hard to define — not quite a cheese shop, not quite a gift shop, not quite a kitchen shop, not quite a candy store, but somehow all of them at once.
How Far We’ve Come
Today, under the ownership of Louise & Frank Mawhinney, Duck Soup has grown well beyond its original footprint while staying true to its roots. The shop now carries a sprawling selection of specialty cheeses, gourmet pantry goods, kitchenware, and gifts, alongside house-baked bread on Fridays and Saturdays and one of the region’s most extensive soda selections. In 2018, Duck Soup took on the beloved Sky Bar candy brand — originally created by NECCO in 1938 — and now manufactures it right next door through its sister company, Sky Bar Candy Co.
The shop has also become a hub for hands-on learning, offering cooking classes for adults, baking and cooking camps for kids, and free monthly tasting events that bring the community together to sample new products from small-batch makers. Celebrity chef Joe Gatto has become a regular visiting instructor, teaching everything from pasta-making to steak searing. Through it all, Duck Soup has held onto the thing that’s made it a Sudbury fixture for 55 years: the sense that everyone who walks through the door is a guest, not just a customer.
Celebrating 55 Years, All October Long
To mark the milestone, Duck Soup is hosting a 55th Anniversary Celebration across all five Saturdays in October — October 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 — with special events and free tastings planned throughout the month. The shop is also inviting the community to share their own Duck Soup memories, whether that’s a favorite staff member, a first visit, or a product that’s become a lifelong favorite, for a chance to be featured as part of the celebration.
Save the Date:
A Ribbon-Cutting to Remember
Save the Date: 10/10/2026, 11:30 AM Ribbon Cutting with the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
Join us as we welcome Chamber President Martha Welsh, Town Manager Andy Sheehan, State Representative Carmine Gentile, State Senator Jamie Eldridge, and Candidate for State Representative Ravi Simon for a special ribbon-cutting celebration.
Here’s to 55 years of good food, good company, and a shop that still defies easy definition.
