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strip, and was the first clam supplier to the Howard
Johnson's restaurant chain.
that clam strips are
cut away from the
yucky parts of "whole
belly" soft shell
clams, that are
commonly used for
steaming or frying.
inches long, and can often be found
slightly buried on sand bars. They're
harvested with specialized rakes.The
soft-shell is also known as Manninose,
piss clam, long-neck clam, steamer,
fried clam, Ipswich clam, and belly
clam. The siphon (also called the
snout or neck) hangs out. They're
called piss clams, because the siphon
often sticks up through the sand, and
when you walk by, they squirt you.
of large sea clams, also known as surf
clams, bar clams, hen clams, and skimmer
clams. They can be up to nine inches in
diameter, and are found from the
shoreline, to about 120 feet down.
They're harvested with dredges -- giant
scoops with high pressure water jets.
around for about 75 years.
Thomas Soffron, a clam digger and businessman from Ipswich, Mass., invented the clam
strip, and was the first to market it.
Soffron was a finicky eater, and when served steamed clams, he wouldn't eat the neck and
he wouldn't eat the belly -- he just ate a sanitized strip.
Soffron later dug some hard shell clams, and tried slicing the digging foot of the clam into
eighth-inch strips and fried them. He liked the sweet taste and thought he discovered a
food with broad appeal, that could travel better than the soft-shell clams that were dug
closer to shore.
Tom Soffron and his brothers went into business in 1932 to market clam strips to people
who had never eaten clams before. The business took off when they met another young
entrepreneur named Howard Johnson, in the 1940s.
Johnson was opening roadside restaurants in New England. The brothers tried to sell him
their clam strips. He tasted, smiled, and a deal was done. At that time, few people outside
of Ipswich even knew clam strips existed.
When the Soffron Brothers and Howard Johnson's joined forces, the timing was perfect for
both to realize tremendous growth and success. Right after World War II, the country was
building the interstate highway system and Howard Johnson's would eventually create
hotels and restaurants from coast to coast (sadly, there are only about five left now), and
the "Tendersweet Fried Clams" became a nationwide favorite. The Soffrons once
operated seven processing plants, from Maryland to Nova Scotia.
When he was an infant, his family
immigrated to the United States and
eventually settled on a farm in Ipswich.
During the Great Depression, Soffron
moved to New York City and worked in
hotel restaurants. In 1938, he returned
to Ipswich and started digging clams.
Soffron was also the lead singer and
guitarist with Talambekos Mandolinata,
a string band that performed at Greek
social events in New England and New
York in the 1940s and '50s, and also
made commercial recordings.
Soffron died on Feb. 21, 2004 at age
96 in Ipswich, his hometown.
Associated Press, and Hellenic Communication Service.Graphics
are from Seawatch International, University of Michigan, Hellenic
Communication Service and other sources. We thank them.
another affectionate look back
and yet
another fan's site
click
for the official HoJo story
