As the Santa Ynez Valley News celebrates a century of chronicling the Valley’s history this month, the iconic Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn in Buellton, King Frederik Inn in Solvang, and the legendary Pea Soup Andersen’s Restaurant have frequented the paper's pages over the decades.

The Nielsen family, their friends and partners, have welcomed millions to these landmarks along Highway 101, helping shape the identity of Solvang and Buellton as tourism hubs.

The builder behind the legacy

Much of the enduring hospitality legacy traces back to Christen V. Nielsen, a Danish immigrant and master carpenter who arrived in Solvang in 1917 as one of the town’s early settlers.

In 1932, he founded C.V. Nielsen Planning Mill, and became one of Solvang’s leading contractors, building many homes and commer

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