CHIMACUM, Wash. — The tiny Olympic Peninsula town of Chimacum has a very tasty claim to fame.
"Chimacum is about food. Good food," said Philip Vogelzang, a Seattle radiologist.
The Chimacum Corner Farmstand has been a must-stop along Highway 19 for more than a decade.
"I look at this store as a living organism," said Katy McCoy, Vogelzang's spouse and co-owner of the market.
"It’s the coolest place on earth," Vogelzang said.
The store is a showcase of vibrant, local produce.
"It is the best store in the area," said customer Mark Bauserman.
The market was a magnet for Wilco’s lead singer Jeff Tweedy after Katy put up a sign offering him a free melon.
"We said, ‘We can’t believe you stopped,’" she recalled. "And he said, ‘Really Ihad no choice.’"
"If you ask me what makes this place special it’s all the organic farms that are around here."
The business has grown organically, as well, from a meat department featuring some unusual local game to a nursery filled with plants from nearby farms, and a bountiful bakery that boasts the peninsula’s best “cruffin.”
"A combination of a croissant and muffin," Vogelzang said.
The next time you’re headed north to Port Townsend, look for the produce paradise just beneath the vintage windmill.
"People realize something special is here," Vogelzang said.
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