SNOHOMISH — Sondra McCutchan has been serving up comfort at The Cabbage Patch for nearly three decades.
Day after day the regulars stop in for a hearty breakfast, complete with buttery scones and scoops of fresh jam.
Old friends catch up over thick, creamy slices of chocolate peanut butter pie. Steaming bowls of Cabbage Patch soup and hearty helpings of beef stroganoff draw people from all over.
"It’s almost like turning back the clock and seeing how people dined in Snohomish 100 years ago," McCutchan said Friday. "It’s so hard to believe it’s gone."
A fire destroyed much of the historic restaurant late Thursday night, leaving a hole in a town that finds comfort in its traditions and good home cooking.
"It’s definitely a landmark here," Snohomish teacher Bobbi Ann George said outside the eatery.
When George became engaged to her husband, the couple’s parents met for the first time over dinner at the restaurant.
The Cabbage Patch, with its Victorian charm and cozy fireplace, has been the setting for hundreds of birthdays, wedding anniversaries and late-evening dates between sweethearts.
"If you’ve been to Snohomish, you’ve probably been to The Cabbage Patch," said John Hinchcliffe, Snohomish Fire and Rescue battalion chief.
Since 1978, McCutchan has honed family recipes for mouthwatering desserts and "comfort food" to create a place that isn’t easily forgotten.
Thankfully, those recipes survived the two-alarm fire, McCutchan said.
A passerby spotted smoke rolling out of the 1905 building just after 11:30 p.m. The blaze had started in the lounge upstairs and likely was caused by an electrical problem, Deputy Fire Marshal Bruce Pulver said.
The old building didn’t have sprinklers and challenged firefighters because of the space between the first-floor ceiling and second-story floor, Hinchcliffe said. About 30 firefighters were able to keep the blaze from spreading to a business about a dozen feet away and had the blaze under control in less than a half-hour.
When it was all over, the upstairs had been gutted and part of the floor had collapsed into the main dining room below. The first floor was severely damaged by water and smoke, and the loss was estimated at $400,000, Pulver said.
The restaurant with broken windows and blackened wood was a stark contrast to the bright tulips blooming out front Friday. Dozens of customers, neighbors and friends filed past the charred building to see for themselves if the word around town was true.
Many also came to offer McCutchan tearful encouragement and hugs. Friends and fellow business owners offered to help with Easter brunch Sunday. McCutchan said her staff started calling customers to advise them of the fire.
"We were expecting about 200 people Sunday. Not bad for a restaurant with seating for only about 90 (people)," McCutchan said.
The Machias woman had been looking for a restaurant of her own when she walked into the old Victorian house in 1977. She bought it less than a year later. "It was like God put it here for me," she told The Herald in 2000.
Over the years, McCutchan expanded the restaurant from its original 13 tables to 32. When her aunt, who lived upstairs and did most of the baking, died, McCutchan converted the second-floor into a lounge.
Dennis Newbry, who has known McCutchan for years, built the oak bar for the upstairs in his garage. The Kenmore man came by Friday to offer his support.
"This has been most of her life. It’s so unique. She had a vision, and she made it happen," he said.
McCutchan said aside from serving great food, she wanted the restaurant to be a reflection of the town that prides itself in its heritage. "I put the booths from the old bakery in there. I collected a lot of history of Snohomish and put it in the restaurant," she said.
The restaurant was more than just a place to work, employees said.
"We’re just a big family here. I love ‘Sondi.’ She’s like having a second mother," said Samantha Hannan, whose worked at the eatery for six years.
McCutchan has helped the community’s young people, who have worked for her over the years, longtime friend Pam Simpson said.
Her generosity was evident Friday when she donated perishable food from the restaurant to the food bank, Simpson added.
"She’s helped so many people. Now, it’s our turn to help her," she said.
McCutchan had insurance. She said The Cabbage Patch and all its comforts eventually will be back.
Friends say if anyone can make it happen, McCutchan can.
"She’ll find a way to rebuild this sucker," Newbry said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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