IT PAYS TO ASK. At a recent lunch on the patio at Baker's Crust Restaurant in Norfolk, Erika sipped the best Tomato and Cheese Soup she'd ever had. She asked for the recipe and wrote her address on a napkin for the chef. In response, the restaurant's president, John Stein, mailed her a copy of the recipe. "We hope you enjoy it at home as much as you did at our restaurant," he wrote.

The soup recipe that follows takes about three hours to make because of chopping, simmering, straining and blending. Much like a bisque, it tastes best fresh. Therefore, cooks may want to make less by cutting the ingredients in half. The amount of heavy cream may be reduced even further to taste. And be sure to add the cheese slowly while whisking or it will form crumbly pieces in the soup.

Many thanks go out to John and any other restaurateurs who share great