So there I was, minding the road as I drove down California’s Highway 1, when all of a sudden, my sister shrieked with joy after seeing a sign on the roadside advertising Pea Soup Andersen’s in nearby Buellton.
“I’ve always wanted to try it but never knew we’d be near it,” she said, adding that she’d seen it featured on the Travel Channel’s “All You Can Eat Paradise,” which sang the praises of the split pea soup that’s been served there for more than eight decades.
I love split pea soup, as does my sis, so it seemed the right thing to do. So I veered off our path and experienced Pea Soup Andersen’s ourselves.
The restaurant is huge and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the soup simmers on the stove morning through night. It’s not uncommon to see bowls of the creamy green soup delivered to tables at 8 a.m. We were there around 9 a.m. and our order was as follows: Two waters, two coffees and two bowls of split pea soup, please.
Walking out of the restaurant, I spied a small gift shop off to one side, and on one of the shelves were bags of split peas with the recipe for Pea Soup Andersen’s split pea soup on the back. Now, you don’t have to go to California to get a taste of the soup they’ve been serving for almost a century. It’s a tasty way to warm your toes this winter.