The Chelan Cafe, founded in 1938 celebrated 75 years in business on Aug. 10 with a party for more than 200 of their friends and family. The owners Mary Manning-Smith and "Smitty" Smith, were there to say hello and share memories and hugs with everyone who stopped by to say hello.

Mary arrived in 1974 when her father bought the cafe. "Now we're third generation in the Chelan because my son Scott works here also. My grampa owned the J & M Cafe, he's the M in the name. They opened that in the 30's and my dad went to work for him and stayed in the restaurant business for 55 years."

"There are so many memories in this place," Mary said but maybe the most significant was, " I met my husband here. We had our wedding reception here."

The Chelan has been the scene of birthday parties, retirement parties, wakes, fundraisers, wedding receptions and "Just a lot of fantastic people over the years," Mary said.

"I never wanted to be in the restaurant business," Mary explained. "I had a design business with my cousin Linda but my Dad got sick and he asked if I would come and help him. I had to think about it, but I've been here 30 years."

The Chelan has become a community fixture for the working community, especially truckers and longshoremen in the early days and grew to be the regular favorite for thousands of others in West Seattle.
Because of its location at 3527 Chelan Ave SW, in the shadow of the West Seattle Bridge it has long been the preferred lunch spot for steelworkers, machinists, train crews, and many other tradespeople.

"We tried not to ever change this place. We tried to keep it the same but improve it without stepping on toes because it was and still is a longshoreman's bar. But we got all of West Seattle to come here and be a part of our family. That's what it is."

"Smitty" Smith said, "It's been a lot of years but I came to work for her dad." The cafe was owned by Ed Purvis when Smitty first came for a meal or a drink, "Then Eddie Martin bought it (the father of Mary Manning-Smith). "I worked at Lynden Transport for 30 years right down the street driving truck. I would come to have a drink after work." He knew Mary for some time before they married but now the two own it and run it along with son Scott Manning. Smitty said he likes the, "camaraderie because you know everybody. A lot of the people who have come here have become my friends and we've gotten close. I think of them as my brothers and sisters."

What does the 75th Anniversary mean to him? "It's my first one!" he joked.

It became a sort of unofficial policy at the Chelan for someone on the staff to drive a customer home, "If they got a snootful," said Smitty, "somebody here, if they lived close would just drive them home, and leave their car in the parking lot."

Many of the patrons of the Chelan have been enjoying the food or cocktails there since the 50's or 60's and comparatively new customer Ron Winter said, "I've been coming here since 1996 and my favorite memory is everything! I can remember when Jason (cafe regulars will know who this is) got a smart phone and he and I used to play the juke box in the summer when I wasn't working. We used to play dueling juke boxes. He got a smart phone that let him pre-program the juke box before he got here. So I'd be here and start hearing these songs. Where was Jason? He was sitting out in his car and then he walked in and said," What'd you think?"

Mary's sister Pam Baccetti, said her favorite memory of the Chelan was , "When our mother passed away years ago we had Thanksgiving down here and we filled up the whole dining room with family and friends. It was wonderful." They were joined at the celebration by cousin Merecdes Angerman and Fred Angerman her husband and Paula Baccetti along with Hailey Baccetti.