Tony Zentgraf
Novelli’s Crab & Seafood is one of those hidden gems in Florence, Oregon. From the boardwalk and city park level from above, it may look like a small little bait and tackle shop. Tucked waterside among vintage fishing vessels and personal boats it is a local food stop for those in the know. Watch the Exploring the Source with Daniel Reynolds of Novelli’s Crab & Seafood video interview at the bottom of the page.
Go through gates and down ramp, Florence, OR
It took a local to come clean about Novelli’s
To be honest, my wife and I had been coming to Florence for probably a year before we found Novelli’s. We hadn’t ventured onto the docks and honestly I regret not finding it sooner. The first time we went to try Novelli’s crab chowder, we were impressed with the small operation. There was a line out the roll-up door waterside. As we waited in line to place our order, we were in awe of the large tank of live crabs that is displayed to the right as you walk in.
We had been told about the crab chowder but had no idea they sold live crabs. As the line moved closer to the counter, we discussed what size of chowder to get. We decided to each get our own and an order of Mom’s Garlic Bread. We placed our order and we went to the outdoor seating area to the right of the building.
As we waited we sat along the bar rail seating overlooking the Siuslaw River. Watching the seagulls and cormorants looking for something to eat in the river. Occasionally there was a sea lion that would pop its head up out of the river. He kept looking our way as if he knew what we were waiting for.
When we got our crab chowder and garlic bread we were anticipating award winning chowder.
We were not disappointed! Some of the best I have had.
Novelli’s Crab & Seafood has won a local chowder festival 5 times and the local newspaper, Siuslaw News Readers Choice – Best of Florence Chowder 4 years running. Plus, Daniel and Novelli’s Crab & Seafood was featured on the Food Network twice. Once on Diners, Dine-ins & Dives with Guy Fieri.
I reached out to Daniel Reynolds to see if he would be interested in doing an interview for Exploring the Source, he was gracious enough to tell me to let him know when I was in town and we could set something up. We agreed to an early morning time as he starts his day off at 4am, prepping a minimum of 50 gallons of crab chowder, cooking off crab and stocking the refrigerated case for that day’s sales.
Daniel explained how his love of cooking got him started out working at the restaurant back in 2015. His mom found this location as a way for his parents to crab and fish and in turn sell their daily catch in Florence instead of traveling to other locations to sell to corporations for resale. The chowder recipe was developed and they were off and running.
The Love of Crabbing and Fishing Turns to Tragedy
On June 29, 2020 his parents had left port and were heading out of the mouth of the Siuslaw River and a rogue wave over took the boat. The Coast Guard received a distress call at approximately 2 a.m. stating, they were abandoning ship after it hit the south jetty. The waves that night were reported to be up to 10 feet. Their deckhand was rescued by Coast Guard but unfortunately Kyle and Amber Novelli didn’t make it.
Daniel told me that he talks about his parents to customers probably 100 times a day. His parents memory will live on through him and through the dedication to keep Novelli’s thriving through the quality of the chowder he makes. He said the community of Florence has stood behind him and has supported him to this day. He is grateful for the community and because of their support, he sells out of crab and chowder almost daily. As those of us who know, in the food business you never want to run out of food but that is a good problem to have if you are selling over 50 gallons of chowder a day.
After the death of his parents, Daniel turned to being a crab buyer. He sources local crab from small fishing families up and down the Oregon coast from Newport down to Charleston. Supporting the local fishing industry especially the small fishing operations helps to give the crabbers and fishermen the best price vs selling at a cheaper price to larger seafood operations.
Support Oregon Coast Small Business
If you are on the Oregon Coast, stop at Florence you will enjoy the scenic Old Town Florence along the Siuslaw River.
Head over to Novelli’s Crab & Seafood, say hello to Daniel, have some Crab Chowder and pick up some crab to take home.
The recipes below were made with crab from Novelli’s – bring a cooler to take some home!
Fresh Crab & Shrimp Scampi Style with Pepperoncini – https://culinaryseasons.com/fresh-cra…
Seared Halibut with Fresh Crab & Asparagus with Coconut & Red Curry Sauce – https://culinaryseason.com/seared-hal…
