People of Bellingham: El Capitan

Marc Ravaris runs El Capitan on Cornwall and Chestnut. He’s the guy you think of when you think of two things: Pirates, and Hot dogs. This place is great, it’s open late as well when other restaurants are closed. It’s a token to his tenacity.

He grew up in Vermont but left by the age of 17. He travelled the U.S. and found himself in Washington.

The Captain started his first dog stand in 2003, when he was going to school to earn a teaching degree. He learned Spanish at Western and had just made a career change from an Audio business he was in. He sold that company in 2001. He tried a dog one day after going to class and something hit him. Marc is an entrepreneur so he started thinking about having a small business as a side income, something that allowed him to work when he wanted to.

On the note of Entrepreneurship. Marc travelled back and forth to Tazco, Mexico, buying and selling silver, under his company El Capitan. Silver from this region is famous. The Aztecs in this region had been using silver for jewelry long before the Spanish arrival. Taxco is renowned for it’s craftsmanship, and is home to the famous artisans like Melesio Rodriguez, Ignacio Gomez, and the Molina family.

the Captain is dedicated to providing the best dogs around. Seriously, try them. This isn’t an ad, the dogs are just that good. They range from the ubiquitous Patriot (all beef dog, two strips bacon, queso, and grilled onions) to the Pirates of the Chillibean( beef dog piled under chili).

He doesn’t just make the best dog’s around, he’s also great at conversation. He has wide range of knowledge and can talk about anything. He’s just a well rounded dude we really like. He has a crew of 4 now, one of those being Zack, the inventor of many of the recipes you see on his menu. Zack must have been a bartender, or would at least make a good one. He can keep great conversation, when I’m feeling down I go for a dog and spill my guts out to him. It’s like therapy but cheaper. And tastier.

I asked Marc what his general philosophy is and he said “I believe in providing the best service out there. The best ingredients, the best experience, and doing my best to make the customer happy.”

So, to the Captain and his crew, I say thank you. Or however pirates say it, thank you.

By Derek S.