Route 11 - Chesapeake Crab Potato Chips 2oz bag

Route 11 Potato Chips traces its roots to a small chip factory in Southern Maryland called Chesapeake Chips, which Sarah Cohen’s parents, owners of Washington’s Tabard Inn, purchased after spotting it in a classified ad. In 1992 Cohen made her first batch in an old feed store in Middletown, Virginia, naming the company after the historic highway that runs through the Shenandoah Valley. In 2008 production moved to a larger facility in Mount Jackson, where visitors can still watch the chips being made.

Route 11 cooks its potatoes in small batches using traditional kettle methods, a slow process in which roughly 100 pounds of raw potatoes yield just 25 pounds of finished chips. The goal, according to Cohen, is a chip with a good crunch, plenty of curl, and a nice golden color. The Chesapeake Crab flavor, made since the company’s earliest days, honors the Mid-Atlantic tradition of seasoned crab feasts. It is dusted with a blend from the J.O. Spice Company, a Baltimore firm that has supplied seafood seasoning to local crab houses since 1945.

The flavor is bold and savory, with zesty, peppery spice and a pleasant warmth that builds gently with each bite. Beneath the seasoning, the earthy potato shines through, and the thick, golden chips deliver a hearty, satisfying crunch.