Woodman's of Essex
Encyclopedia
Woodman’s of Essex is a seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...

 restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts
Essex, Massachusetts
Essex is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, north of Boston. The population was 3,504 at the 2010 census.Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Essex.- History :...

 (approximately 26 miles (41.8 km) north of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

). A local favorite, it is also known internationally for its fried clams and New England clam bake
New England clam bake
The New England clam bake is a traditional method of cooking foods, especially seafood such as lobster, mussels, crabs, steamers, and quahogs. The seafood is often supplemented by sausages, potatoes, onions, carrots, corn on the cob, etc...

s. Woodman’s has been a family business since its founding in 1914, and is a large employer in the area with over 200 staff during the summer months.

The Fried Clam

In 1914 Lawrence Henry "Chubby" Woodman
Lawrence Woodman
Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman was an entrepreneur and restaurant owner who legend has it invented the Ipswich fried clam. He opened Woodman's of Essex, first as a clam shack, with his wife Bessie on Main Street in Essex, Massachusetts and sold freshly dug steamer clams as well as ice cream and homemade...

 and his wife Bessie opened up a clam shack on Essex's Main Street, more commonly known to locals as "the causeway". Chubby and Bessie sold freshly dug
Clam digging
Clam digging is a common means of harvesting clams from below the surface of the tidal mud flats where they live. It is done both recreationally and commercially...

 steamer clam
Soft-shell clam
Soft-shell clams, scientific name Mya arenaria, popularly called "steamers", "softshells", "longnecks", "piss clams", "Ipswich clams", or "Essex clams" are a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Myidae....

s as well as ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

 and homemade potato chips.

According to legend, Chubby invented the Ipswich fried clams
Fried clams
Fried clams are made by deep frying soft-shell clams that have been dipped in batter.Fried clams are an iconic food, "to New England what barbecue is to the South". They tend to be served at seaside clam shacks . For a lighter meal, a clam roll is made by piling clams into a hot dog bun...

 on July 3, 1916. The company website says this happened during a visit from a friend and fisherman, Mr. Tarr of neighboring Gloucester
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...

, Chubby took his suggestion to put some clams into the oil used for deep-frying the potato chips. Some modifications were made, such as dipping the clams in evaporated milk and corn flour, and the fried clam was born.

Clambake to go

The traditional New England clam bake
New England clam bake
The New England clam bake is a traditional method of cooking foods, especially seafood such as lobster, mussels, crabs, steamers, and quahogs. The seafood is often supplemented by sausages, potatoes, onions, carrots, corn on the cob, etc...

 is a long process. Chubby Woodman came up with the idea of mobilizing it--a truck was loaded up with food, boilers, and wood, and the clambake was done at the customer's preferred location. Today, Woodman's sells "clambakes to go," consisting of all the necessary ingredients such as lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...

, clams, potatoes, and corn.
Dependence on the clam has brought risk to the restaurant. In 2005, the red tide
Red tide
Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon also known as an algal bloom , an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column and results in discoloration of the surface water. It is usually found in coastal areas...

 was quite severe, leading to lower supplies and price increases. Woodman's was forced to import clams from Canada.

Family and legacy

Eventually, the family business came into the hands of Chubby’s son, Lawrence Dexter Woodman, commonly referred to as "Deck," and his wife Virginia.

After his death in 1987, Deck’s children and grandchildren founded the L. Dexter Woodman Scholarship Fund. The scholarship provides scholarships of $20,000 to two local high school seniors to help them toward college; applicants are judged on character and community service, as well as on academics, extracurricular activities, and need. The scholarship fund hosts two main fundraising events each May, the "Taste of Essex," a tasting event with local food, and "Deck’s Day for Dubbers," a golf tournament.

Reputation

Woodman's reputation is recognized in many travel and restaurant guides, such as Frommer's
Frommer's
Frommer's is a travel guidebook series and one of the bestselling travel guides in America. The series began in 1957 with the publication of Arthur Frommer's book, Europe on $5 a Day. Frommer's has expanded to include over 350 guidebooks across 14 series, as well as other media including the award...

 New England, Frommer's Boston 2006 and Boston 2007, and their Irreverent Guide to Boston. Fodor included the restaurant in their Where to Weekend Around Boston, and the Phantom Gourmet Guide to Boston's Best Restaurants 2008 affirms it has the best fried clams.
The 2010 film Grown Ups
Grown Ups (2010 film)
Grown Ups is a 2010 American buddy-comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider. Sandler and Fred Wolf wrote the script. The film was produced by Sandler's production company Happy Madison and was distributed by Columbia...

 uses the restaurant for a segment when all the characters in the film go out for a family dinner, although hamburgers and not fried clams
were portrayed as the restaurant's specialty.
  • Beastie Boys
    Beastie Boys
    Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

    ' song "Hey Ladies" from their album Paul's Boutique
    Paul's Boutique
    Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, on Capitol Records. Featuring production by the Dust Brothers, the recording sessions for the album took place in Matt Dike's Apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles from 1988 to...

    includes the line "Special at Woodman's in Essex Mass"; listed in the printed lyrics, yet never actually recited in the song.
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