Former workers at the Chart House Rowing Club gathered at the First Annual All-Chart House Reunion. The event was held at Bluewater Boathouse – the old Coronado Chart House and the fourth Chart House in a long line of restaurants. Front row, right to left, are Coronadans Belle Mitchell, Tom Harris, Jeannie Lyons-Capanella and Sarah Richie-Holder. Photo by Dee D’Orazio.
MORE THAN 400 SHOW UP TO CELEBRATE THE CHART HOUSE ERA
The original Coronado Chart House gang, circa 1969. Photo courtesy Steve “Bula” Lindsay.
CORONADO They say you can never go back. What’s done is done, and that’s what memories are for. But Bluewater Boathouse opened a portal to the past on April 26 when they hosted a reunion of more than 400 former Chart House employees.
The event attracted ex-Chart House employees from New York, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. Some came from Las Vegas, and many came from Lake Tahoe, Santa Barbara, Malibu, Oceanside, Cardiff, Shelter Island, and everywhere else there was a Chart House within the state of California.
Joe Ditler, left, and Jimmy Ulcickas, along with Steve Ewing (not shown), came up with the idea and orchestrated the Chart House Reunion as a way of paying homage to the Chart House era – an era and a lifestyle remembered fondly by everyone. Ditler is publicist for Bluewater Boathouse in Coronado; Ulcickas is co-owner; Ewing is the general manager. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
Bluewater Boathouse dug deep to create something very special for the former Charties. For starters, Bluewater is located in the old Coronado Chart House, the fourth in that long line of successful restaurants. The ambience of that terrific old building over the water on Glorietta Bay was priceless.
With help from Lori Singmaster and her “Old Chart House Employees” page on Facebook (1,000 members), word went out about the event to the far corners of the globe. No other promotions were necessary. Before long former Coronadan Reene Downs-Faulstich called with original recipes she and her husband had saved from the Chart House kitchens.
Steve “Bula” Lindsay (left) and Mitch Bucklew were opening crew at the Coronado Chart House in 1968. Lindsay went on to create Bula’s Restaurant. Bucklew did several tours of Vietnam during the UDT/SEAL Team transition Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
Throughout the afternoon Bluewater staff served portions of Hawaiian Chicken, Teriyaki Steak, Coconut Shrimp and sautéed mushrooms all popular staples off the original Chart House menu that many will recall was on a wooden paddle.
Everywhere you looked were athletic, happy people clad in their best Hawaiian or Chart House shirts and dresses. Participants were recognized for Cutest Couple; Most Famous; Best Shirt or Dress; and Miss Chart House.
Coronado educators Steve and Libby Patrick. Libby won “Best Dressed” with her Hawaiian/Chart House blouse. They’re holding an early wooden menu from the Chart House days. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
Legends from within that successful restaurant chain were also in attendance. Patrick Goddard was there. He was in the initial four at the dawn of the Chart House Era, and was in charge of finding historic buildings on exotic lots with spectacular views of which he did a splendid job. He alone created much of the Chart House legacy that we honor today.
Other Chart House celebs included Billy Bender, Lance Mann, Tommy Keck, Steve Rock, Marty Jensen and Steve “Bula” Lindsay. Guests were asked to fill out a sticky with the name of their Chart House and place it on the front of their shirt. Some worked so many Chart Houses they had stickers from shoulder-to-waist.
Billy Bender and Jeannie Lyons-Capanella. Billy was an early manager of the Coronado Chart House and a district manager. He is legendary in the Chart House family. Jeannie worked the Rowing Club Chart House for several years. One thing everyone agreed upon this day was that their years at the Chart House were some of the best years of their lives. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
Maggie and Mike Herlihy. Mike has a long and memorable history with the Coronado Chart House. Today he is co-owner of Lee Mather Co., Realtors. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
The Chart House chain began with a humble restaurant in Aspen, Colorado in 1961. By the mid-1980s, Chart House, Inc. operated more than 500 steak, hamburger, barbecue and Mexican restaurants in 32 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The unusual goal of founders Buzzy Bent (from Coronado) and Joey Cabell (from Hawaii) was simple:
The Coronado Chart House crew in 1978 – ten years after the celebrated opening. Many of these people attended the Chart House Reunion in Coronado’s Bluewater Boathouse, nearly 40 years later. Photo courtesy Billy Bender.
Give customers an oversized cut of steak, a baked potato and a healthy salad. They filled the walls with photos of big wave riders and downhill skiers mostly of themselves, as they were world-class athletes in their own right. Then they constructed wooden tables with nautical charts infused into the tops under a thick coat of resin. Their trademark had commenced.
They had four customers that first night, but their “recipe” worked. By 1962 they had another Chart House in Newport Beach. In 1965 they built one in Shelter Island. And in 1968 the Coronado Chart House opened in the old 1887 Boathouse.
Coronadan Buzzy Bent, founder of the legendary Chart House Chain. The recent reunion was dedicated to Buzzy, who died just a few months earlier. He was a member of UDT 19. Photo courtesy Bent Family Archive.
The Coronado Chart House set a new level of excellence in the youthful restaurant chain. Buzzy Bent and partner Ron Smith (they were Navy Frogmen together a decade earlier) went to great extremes to rebuild the historic Boathouse to preservation standards. This started an attitude in the chain that brought about well-researched and precise restoration of historic buildings throughout the long history of company.
From 1968-2001 the Coronado Chart House was a huge success. It was a place where all the best surfers, sailors and volleyball players worked as waiters and waitresses; cooks and prep men; dishwashers and managers. At the Coronado Chart House, Olympic Gold Medal winner Robbie Haines was a waiter. Running into world-class athletes taking your food order was typical of what you might find at any Chart House.
Willie and Megan Stanley are also Chart House veterans. Willie created collectible reunion shirts emblazoned with the old Chart House logo for the occasion. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
Also from Coronado and sporting a rich history with the Chart House chain are Susie and Dan Runyon. Dan worked many years behind the grill at the Coronado Chart House, serving such Chart staples as Hawaiian Chicken and baseball cuts of Teriyaki Sirloin. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
It was also a place where many met their wives-to-be. In fact, at the reunion there were no fewer than seven married couples that met while working at a Chart House.
“There are so many amazing things about this reunion,” said Steve Ewing, general manager at Bluewater Boathouse, who also worked in the Chart House chain, and who met his wife while waiting tables.
Publicist Joe Ditler is surrounded by a bevy of ex-Chart House ladies, with the original Chart House menu presented him by Reene Downs-Faulstich (not pictured). From left, Claudia Stanley-Gallant, Jennifer Thomas and Jeannie Lyons-Capanella. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
“Look around you,” he said. “Thirty, forty years later, and these people all still look fantastic athletic, attractive, full of energy. And I think it’s safe to say that everyone here today has one thing in common. Some of the best years of our lives were spent working at a Chart House.”
Bluewater Boathouse, in anticipation of a crowd, but not sure how large, moved all of the furniture from inside the restaurant into the parking lot. And it was a good thing, as people filled both levels of Bluewater Boathouse from the moment the front door opened.
More Chart House veterans. From left, Jim Robeson and Jim VanVleck. The latter’s brother John was notorious in Chart House legend and lore. Photo by Dee D’Orazio.
A professional photographer captured images as people walked in; guests were greeted with a complimentary Chart House Mai Tai; and then the fun began. Everywhere could be heard shrieks of joy as old friends reconnected. Before long, groups had formed for each Chart House represented, and the stories and memories began to flow.
“Would we do it again? You bet we would,” said Ewing. “It was one of the most unique and fun gatherings of people I’ve ever experienced.” No date has been established yet but Bluewater Boathouse has committed to hosting the Second Annual Chart House Reunion at some point in 2016.
The face of the Chart House, and Boathouse 1887 for many years, Marty Jensen. Seen here with wife Karen. Marty got his start working the Coronado Chart House as a waiter. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
The Chart House chain, whether you worked in Coronado, Aspen, Hawaii or Boston, was one big, happy family. At the Chart House Reunion recently many had a chance to reunite. Here some of the Coronado Charties gather for a photo. From left, Kathleen Harris, Tricia Falletta, Carolyn Price-Gallant, Jeannie Lyons-Campanella and Janet Ryan-Falletta. Photo by Rodney Nakamoto.
Coronado’s Bluewater Boathouse is located at 1701 Strand Way, across from the historic Hotel del Coronado. For more information call (619) 435-0155, or visit www.bluewatergrill.com. You can also follow Bluewater Grill on Facebook, where hundreds of photos from the Chart House Reunion are posted. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (winter hours), serving lunch, brunch and dinner.
This event was created and promoted by Part-Time PR, serving all your public relations needs. To find out how your business can create more of a presence in the community, write or call [email protected] or (619) 435-0767.
