One of the great things about social media is that no matter where we travel, our online pals give us great tips about what to see and do. That’s why, when they told us about a place in Buellton, California, called Pea Soup Andersen’s, we just had to stop and see what all the fuss was about.
They’ve been a staple in Buellton for over 85 years, when Danish born Anton Andersen & his wife, Juliette purchased the land and opened a small restaurant. Originally called “Andersen’s Electric Cafe” because of their brand new electric stove, it quickly became a local favorite.
Although originally trained in exclusive restaurants in New York and Europe, Anton decided he was much happier pursuing a simpler fare. Basic, home cooked meals and neighborly service were just a few of the factors that contributed to its success and brought in celebrities, salesmen, truck drivers, tourists and politicians. Because they go through many tons of peas every month they also likely hold the title of ‘largest pea purchaser in the world. Each November they are the location of choice for the annual ‘National split pea soup week’ celebration.
We spent a couple of hours, trying the famous soup, perusing the gift shop with it’s wonderful baked goods and any kind of ‘split pea’ related trinket you could ever want. It’s an iconic piece of Americana that’s definitely worth checking out. With all there is to see inside, we could’ve easily daudled around for hours, but Sandi & I had our eye on some things we liked OUTSIDE the restaurant.
