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What Fluffy Chowder is, and where you can get it
The chowder is now a registered trademark.
There’s a clam chowder in New Hampshire that has caused quite a stir.
It’s called Fluffy Chowder, seafood lovers are driving hours for a taste, and imitators are trying to replicate it.
The chowder is the brainchild of Sylvia Cheever, who owns Rye Harbor Lobster Pound and the The Hungry Lobster, both in Rye, N.H., with her father Nathan Hanscom.
The Fluffy Chowder, now a registered trademark, is a New England-style creamy clam chowder topped with lobster in a butter sherry sauce. But that’s not all. The recipe also includes a “magic sauce,” said Cheever.
When asked to divulge what’s in the magic sauce, Cheever said with a chuckle, “I can’t do that.”
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Whatever it is, folks can’t get enough of it. Her social media accounts are filled with people who rave about the dish and others who yearn to try it.
“Drove 2.5 hours Memorial Weekend just to get a fluffy,” wrote Denise Leveu.
“It’s the best chowdah I’ve ever had,” wrote Pierre Levesque. “The one I got 2 weeks ago had 4 lobster claws in it.”
“My absolute FAV!!!!” wrote Kim Hilton. “I always tell people that they have not lived a full true life until they have had THE ONE AND ONLY Rye Lobster Pound Fluffy Chowder — every year I make the trek to have it!”
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“You’re on my summer bucket list!” wrote Brenda Henderson. “Looking forward to trying your Fluffy Chowder and lobster roll!!”
“I have a slight cult following,” Cheever said with a laugh.
But when imitators began rolling out chowders called fluffy, Cheever wasn’t laughing.
“We have built this brand, Fluffy Chowder, diligently and consistently for 20 years and a lot of our people really love us and love this particular chowder,” she said.
“We have tourists who read about it and they want to try Fluffy Chowder and then somebody puts it on their menu and serves something that is not Fluffy Chowder,” she said. “I decided that I would like to protect it because we are very proud of our Fluffy Chowder and I didn’t like the fact that [the imitations were] misleading to people.”
Fluffy Chowder isn’t just about adding lobster to clam chowder, she said.
“My recipe, the way that we do it, is different and nobody really knows how to do it,” she said.
Fluffy Chowder became a registered trademark on June 17 and Cheever posted the documentation on the Rye Harbor Lobster Pound’s Facebook page, writing, “It’s official! Come try the Original Fluffy Chowder (registered trademark). Don’t be fooled. Only found at Rye Harbor Lobster Pound and the Hungry Lobster!”
So how did the Fluffy Chowder get its name?
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About 20 years ago at the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival, Cheever and her longtime boyfriend Michael Talty, who has since passed away, were serving hot lobster rolls to a long line of people. Talty got hungry and made a snacking decision that would start a phenomenon.
“He took my hot lobster roll and put it inside of the chowder and a lady said, ‘What’s that?’ And he said, ‘I fluffed up my chowder,'” Cheever said.
A new recipe took root that day. The lobster in her hot lobster roll is already served with a warm butter sherry sauce, and then, after some thought, Cheever created the “magic sauce” that would complete the dish.
Rye Harbor Lobster Pound will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026. Cheever’s parents, Nathan and Itsuko, started the business 29 years ago, and Cheever stepped in to help her dad run it when her mother became sick.
“My mom passed and I went to culinary school,” Cheever said. “When I came out of culinary school, I looked around and said, ‘What are we doing here, we should be doing something.’ So I designed some recipes.”
Her recipes have been lauded by judges, as well as customers.
“I’ve won multiple awards for the lobster bisque and the Fluffy Chowder,” Cheever said.
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She has also won best lobster roll at the annual Hampton Beach Seafood Festival, which takes place this year Sept. 5-7. Cheever will be there again this year, serving her Fluffy Chowder and other dishes.
At her seasonal seafood shack, folks eat at picnic tables along the scenic harbor.
“I’m just so grateful for the whole community,” Cheever said. “We love Rye Harbor. It’s so quaint and beautiful.”
She opened The Hungry Lobster on Washington Road five years ago, a more traditional restaurant where patrons eat inside.
Cheever said her customers are loyal because of the food, but also because of the vibe.
“We care about our food, we care about our people. We’re such a happy place. I enjoy being a small family business,” she said.
Social media posts lightly edited for clarity.
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