Backside Bakes: Clambakes, Raw Bars & More
Backside Bakes is celebrating ten years in business in Chatham, and Matt Eldredge has been there from the very beginning. After working for Backside Bakes founder Nick Muto for six years, Matt and his wife Kristi bought the business four years ago when Muto chose to devote himself full-time to shellfishing. Eldredge holds a federal license that permits him to buy directly off Muto’s boat for the freshest seafood possible, and additional fresh shellfish for their dinners comes from Chatham Fish & Lobster. The “Backside” in Backside Bakes refers to the fishing grounds beyond the sandbars of Chatham up to Provincetown.
Matt — who traces his Brewster roots back to the 1600s — has always had an interest in restaurants. He started as a teenager washing dishes, then worked as a prep cook and eventually attended Johnson & Wales University. He met Kristi, who grew up in Eastham, when they both worked at the Lobster Claw Restaurant in Orleans.
Backside Bakes brings everything to your location — via their fully-equipped trailer — and their traditional “bake” includes a one-and-a-half-pound lobster served with mussels, steamers, corn, linguica, onions and potatoes enclosed in a cheesecloth bag. The bag is nestled under the lobster which, as Matt says, “perks up the lobster” and thereby makes a very enticing presentation. If requested, Backside Bakes serves dessert, like fruit and cookies or the much messier s’mores. Chowder is also available as an add-on.
They have provided parties for as few as three (a birthday and anniversary celebration) and as many as 565. In 2018, Sweetwater Forest Campground hired them for their 60th anniversary party and invited current and past campers to attend — 565 accepted. Clearly, Backside Bakes is flexible. They have even provided a continental breakfast at Nickerson State Park before a bike race. They can throw a party at your home where the cooking is done outside so there are no lingering lobster smells wafting through your house. They can stay, serve and clean up or just drop off and come back the next day.
The couple is working toward making their business as green as possible. Their paper products are made from recycled paper, the lobster crackers and lobster picks are “real,” thus washable, and they are researching sturdy compostable utensils. Trash bins are provided at events to separate cans and bottles for recycling.
The Eldredges have quite possibly invented the concept of “lobster smashing” parties, where they encourage diners to “take out your frustrations on our crustaceans.” A 12x12-foot table is set up (outside) where enthusiasts are provided with ponchos and hard plastic mallets and encouraged to have at it. The idea evolved from rehearsal dinners where a different spin on the traditional lobster bake was requested. Another wedding request was deconstructed lobster with all the fixings, to make it easier and neater for wedding guests. A sprig of rosemary for remembrance topped each beautiful bowl.
Matt says, “We will work with anyone to give them what they want.” His favorite part of the business? “Talking with people, especially at our raw bars when people hang around to chat and I can give them trivia bites,” he enthuses. Kristi says, “I like that we work so well together.” Matt chimes in, “While Kristi doesn’t do the actual bake what she does do — behind the scenes organization — is so important to the business. We never have to worry that something is overlooked.”
They have gotten much of their business through word of mouth, but a segment on Charlie Moore’s The Mad Fisherman three years ago didn’t hurt. They put a full-blown “Backside Bake” on the back deck of North Chatham Outfitters in June of 2018 and the episode aired on NESN. Backside Bakes immediately got calls from as far away as Vermont. Matt notes that they “can and will bring the show on the road.” They have catered an annual reunion event near Boston for the past five years.
Both Eldredges give a huge shout out to their staff who, in typical Cape Cod fashion, are parents, teachers and restaurant workers with second and third jobs. The staff also have some great ideas of their own and are not afraid to share them if they see a better way to accomplish something. “We can always learn something and it’s all about making the experience unforgettable for the customer.”
508-360-8399 / backsidebakes.com
@backsidebakes / #backsidebakes
