A Historic Clambake in Sandwich - Clambakes, Etc.
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Sandwich marks its 375th birthday in 2014 and they’ve been hosting celebratory events all year long. We couldn’t have been happier than when they asked us to help with one of this summer’s shindigs––a real, old-fashioned clambake.
The bake was held on July 26th as part of SeaFest. It was a beautiful summer day, and we set up right on the shore of the canal. The town threw big party with lots of events after the meal.
With its borders touching Cape Cod Bay, Sandwich has, since the early days, been a place where many people have made their living on the sea. With that history in mind, the town was looking for a clambake caterer that could still do things the old-fashioned way. They also wanted the caterer to have ties to Sandwich. We can and we do!
Yes, we are in Sandwich now, too. Though you might not have noticed, because our place there is not a market—it’s home base for our catering operation. After more than a decade spent wedging our mobile cooking gear into the back of our Osterville store, we are really happy with this new space.
What we hope you have noticed is that we still specialize in old-fashioned clambakes. We refer to them as pit-style bakes, as opposed to our pot-style option. Native Americans who lived in this area and had access to plentiful fresh shellfish and seafood long ago perfected the art of cooking this way, over a slow fire in a large pit.
It takes a little time to pull off a real pit-style clambake. We’ve learned the importance of burning the fire for a few hours in order to get the coals hot enough to cook the food. Next, we put wet seaweed over the coals before putting the food on and covering it with a large tarp. The wet seaweed creates steam and cooks a lovely salty-sea aroma and flavor into the food.
We were so excited to have the opportunity to bring this historic kind of clambake to the party in Sandwich. And it was great to see so many of you there. Happy Birthday, Sandwich!
For more information on the celebration, including the Grand Parade in September, the Masquerade Ball in October, and the Talk of the Town speakers’ series, which will continue all the way into fall and winter, log onto www.sandwich375.com.