From billboard to 'Traveler's Special,' Pea Soup Andersen's closure marks end of era

David Loe
·3 min read

It was the billboard that first attracted my attention as a kid.

Laboring with their massive mallet and giant chisel were Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee. They were captured in the laborious process of painstakingly cleaving individual peas. The two gentlemen were adorned in serious work clothes: chef’s toques and aprons.

Pea Soup Andersen's in Buellton shut down as of Jan. 1. The Santa Maria owner, Milt Guggia Enterprises, reportedly sold the restaurant, but the buyer remains unconfirmed and escrow reportedly has not closed.

“At this point, we’re not at liberty to discuss who the purchaser is,” Krista Guggia of Milt Guggia Enterprises told Santa Barbara news site Noozhawk this week.

She added that she didn’t have the details as far as timeline and what will be developed at the site. The adjacent 96-room Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn, with a separate owner, remains open, an employee said. The restaurant’s closure leaves only the Pea Soup Andersen’s in Santa Nella along Interstate 5 still open. It’s also owned by the Santa Maria firm.

Stars of billboards and soup bowls, Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee tirelessly spend their days splitting peas for Pea Soup Andersen’s Restaurant in Buellton. The iconic eatery closed Jan. 1.
Stars of billboards and soup bowls, Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee tirelessly spend their days splitting peas for Pea Soup Andersen’s Restaurant in Buellton. The iconic eatery closed Jan. 1.

'Cadillac' of all soups

Over the decades, the billboards lured me into the Buellton restaurant dozens of times.

My last visit was just a year or so ago. The booth I slid into could have been the same one I first visited as a teenager. The bench seat had enough pronounced indentations to testify that many years…and many rears…had preceded my stopover. I found a high point dead center ready for some soup.Ah, the soup. It goes without saying that pea soup is the Cadillac of all soups. So highly regarded is it that they named a fog after it. No one has ever reported driving in a fog as thick as French onion. I was delighted to see that Andersen’s was still using the classic soup bowl I knew so well. The serving size was quite large, but one was tantalized to make all-gone because Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee are always waiting at the bottom to reveal themselves. It is considered disrespectful to the two of them not to renew their acquaintance each time you are served.As I slurped that delicious pea soup, childhood memories came flooding back: As ravenous teenagers, my brother and I used to engage in lunch-stop competitions to see who could finish the most bowls of pea soup.

The 'Traveler's Special'

The “Traveler’s Special'' was all you could eat, and the waiters took delight in watching us engorge ourselves. Fresh bowls just kept coming. No disrespect to the famed chefs was tolerated. Wanton overindulgence like that can ruin you for something you truly enjoy. I’ll admit it took a few years to recover my taste again for split pea soup.During my last visit, I noticed a sign in front of the restaurant that told the history of the place. Anton Andersen and his wife Juliette opened a small cafe in the brand new town of Buellton in 1924. The most popular dish was Juliette’s French recipe for split pea soup. It quickly became their hallmark.A cartoon character became the symbol of that dish as early as 1932. Then in 1948 a Disney animator enhanced the image and doubled the characters. Soon after, those two chefs were christened Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee.The first billboards went up in the 1930s. The ones near Buellton are considered historical landmarks with the designation that they cannot be changed in any way — only maintained. Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee must be wondering what will happen to them now.Until it’s closing day, the “Traveler’s Special” still offered an unlimited amount of pea soup.

Putting me and my brother to shame, Danny Freschette set the record for most bowls consumed at one sitting on Nov. 13, 1992. Danny downed 17 bowls in 90 minutes. There’s no telling whether he ever came back after that. Now, sadly, none of us will.Pea Soup Andersen’s would have celebrated its 100th birthday in Buellton this year.

Santa Barbara news site Noozhawk contributed to this story.

David Loe was the co-owner of a travel business in Ventura County for 25 years. He reprised his column On Travel for the closing of Pea Soup Andersen's. He welcomes feedback at davidloe@sbcglobal.net

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Pea Soup Andersen's closure marks end of era