Speak E-Z’s opened in 2003 in the fountain district in Bellingham. Opening a restaurant and having people enjoy his cooking has always been the dream of Dennis Rayborn who is the chef/owner.

Dennis grew up just outside of Memphis with a large family. Southern cooking was and still is a way of life there. He joined the Navy and traveled extensively throughout the world. He ended up on Whidbey Island and moved to Bellingham in 1992 where he soon started to work at Georgia Pacific. He got laid off in 2000 when a large part of the mill shut down. Dennis went through retraining and ended up with a degree in auto collision repair. Throughout working for other companies and while pursuing a degree he always liked to cook and surprise his friends and acquaintances with en-promt BBQ’s. After being laid off he started to cook so often that he got teased by his wife and friends “you should open up your own restaurant."

So, he did. He found there is a need in Bellingham for some real Southern Soul food. He opened Speak E-Z’s.