If you’re a chowder aficionado of a certain age, you might remember steaming bowls of Chef Sigmund’s New England clam chowder. Until its closure in the late 2000s, Chef Sigmund’s held near iconic status in a community that certainly knows and loves its briny stews. If you’ve ever pined for a hearty mug full of the good stuff, I have great news: After a hiatus of several years, Chef Sigmund’s is back, and you can once more indulge in the same ready-made chowder or even bring home the base and make a pot yourself.
The new Chef Sigmund’s opened last fall in Marstons Mills with Jan Karolczak at the helm. He is son of the original Chef Sigmund, who died in 2017 at 95. Jan is proud to continue his father’s legacy, which started years ago at the Marlin Restaurant and continued in smaller, lunch-focused venues around the Cape throughout the 1980s.
“Jan grew up in a restaurant and liked the idea of opening one without the grueling hours, so he opted for a specialty grocery store for chowder and stuffed quahogs,” explained his partner, Karen Crosby. The couple had been talking about bringing the chowder back, and when the Marstons Mills location opened up, they decided the time was right. The result is a cozy storefront off Route 28 where you can stock up on the Cape’s most traditional meal.
“We have two flavors of stuffed quahogs: sweet Italian and spicy chorizo. It’s popular to buy a quart of chowder and two quahogs,” said Crosby. The chowder is made with the original recipe. “It’s flavorful, briny and distinctive. It’s also gluten-free, and you can prepare the chowder base yourself with a non-dairy alternative,” said Karen.
In addition to New England clam chowder, Jan at Chef Sigmund’s offers fish chowder and a rich bisque base to which you can add lobster for delicious lobster bisque, or use as a base for your own creation, perhaps sautéed shrimp on angel hair pasta.
Jan and Karen make sure it’s all about community and sharing. “When you buy a gallon of chowder, it comes in quart containers. You could keep three and give away one or invite someone over to share. It’s great for gatherings, for crockpots, self-service, and buffets. We want to be here for everybody, but especially our fellow neighbors, so you don’t have to worry about dinner, and can grab chowder for a worry-free evening. We love Cape Cod,” Crosby said.
40 Industry Road, Unit 5
Marstons Mills
Current hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm chefsigmundschowder.com
facebook.com/chef.sigmunds.chowder
