PIKE PLACE CHOWDER

Food and Beverage > Food Equipment

How Two Small Chowder Houses in Seattle Became "America's #1 Chowder"

On a blue-sky April morning in 2003, Larry Mellum hauled up the big green door just off the cobblestone street in Seattle's Pike Place Market. Inside was a rustic 20-seat cafe that left him wondering if there would be enough customers to keep the door open and the bills paid. His unique idea was to specialize in only one thing - making great chowder in as many varieties as he could dream up.

As the tantalizing aroma of seafood and seasonings wafted out into the morning air, Larry's questions were answered. The chowder-lovers appeared - first in ones and twos, then in crowds. A few years later, the big green door was welcoming visitors from around the world who waited patiently in lines that formed around the block. When the second restaurant was launched in 2007 at Pacific Place Center, the flagship cafe was offering 8 varieties of chowder daily, along with very popular seafood rolls, while the new diner added an expanded menu of "to order" items, including the crispiest fish n' chips and contest-winning Chowder Fries.

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