Pea Soup Andersen's

Pea Soup Andersen's is a restaurant chain in California that primarily serves travelers. The chain consists of two locations along the state's two major highways: U.S. Route 101 in Buellton and Interstate 5 in Santa Nella. While the restaurants are best known for their pea soup, they serve complete home-style meals. Both locations include a bakery and gift shop and have an associated hotel on the property. The company also markets a line of canned soups.HistoryThe original Andersen's restaurant was founded in 1924 by Anton Andersen and his wife Juliette. Anton Andersen was born in Denmark and had received training in the restaurant business in Europe and New York City. Juliette was born in France. Anton and Juliette purchased property in the small town of Buellton, California, in Santa Barbara County. Buellton and neighboring Solvang were the focus of a Danish colony of Danish Americans and recent immigrants. They opened a small restaurant and named it "Andersen's Electric Cafe" in honor of their proudest possession, a new electric stove.When the restaurant opened, they served simple fare such as sandwiches, pancakes, and coffee. From the beginning their customers were primarily people driving the main highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco (now U.S. Highway 101) - salesmen, tourists and truck drivers. After three months in business, pea soup was added to the menu which was made from a recipe handed down through Juliette's family. While the restaurant's reputation became known for their good food, it was Juliette's pea soup which was the main attraction.