Founders Tavern & Grille in Pasadena is a homemade, original restaurant. You will not find a freezer or microwave in their scratch kitchen. Founders makes its own bread, sauces, dressings, and soups.
Customers appreciate owners Steve and Janet Sumner’s dedication to providing quality, fresh food. “I think people are tasting it and going, ‘Wow. This is really good food. I am coming back,’” Steve says. “It’s different. People aren’t getting this everywhere.”
The Sumners’ idea for the scratch kitchen came from their search for quality dining. “I was tired of going out and not having good food in the neighborhood,” Steve says. “You had to go to Annapolis, Baltimore, or D.C. to get really good food.”
The Pasadena residents also focused on the theme of history to appeal to customers. The name “Founders” was chosen as a tribute to American history with an emphasis on the Revolutionary War. Walk into the restaurant and you are greeted by a large American flag, historical maps, and photos of U.S. presidents. Even the menu nods to history. “It has a warm, historic feel to it,” Janet says. “I think people walk in and say, ‘This is so cool.’ One of our taglines is ‘Join or Go Hungry.’ Very Revolutionary and fun.”
We recently talked more in-depth to Steve, a history buff who also doubles as the executive chef, about his menu, the restaurant’s extensive selection of bourbon and whiskey, Founders’ best-selling dishes, and the made-from-scratch kitchen concept.
How would you describe your menu?
I really feel we offer comfort food that is elevated that you can’t necessarily make at home, but it’s everything that you might have in your house. You might have fried chicken; you might have a burger you can throw on the grill. I just feel it’s comfort food, not out of a box, but executed really well.
What is your most popular dish?
It’s fried chicken. I believe the only other place you get a good piece of fried chicken is at Royal Farms. There is a market for good fried chicken here. It’s organic. No hormones. It’s fresh cut. It’s never frozen. It comes from Allen’s Farm on the Eastern Shore. You start with a good product like that, and it makes our job easy.
What are other favorite dishes of customers?
People always like our shrimp and grits. The only grits we use are from a small farm in South Carolina. We use an authentic, great product. The ingredients are awesome.
What is an item that is under the radar?
I think our pizzas are phenomenal. I have the most fun with those. That’s why I opened a pizza shop in Bel Air. We use fresh dough every day. We make our own sauces in-house, and they are unique. I have a couple of new pizzas coming out. The roasted tomato chicken parm. Another one is called Northern California. We use honey, ricotta cheese, and we slice paper thin lemon and arugula. We’re also doing a tribute to New Haven (clam pizza with bacon). It’s pretty spectacular.
Founders has been opensince 2013. What have you learned as a first-time restaurant owner?
You have to constantly stay customer focused and bring stuff to them that is unique and different. They are thinking, “Oh, wow that’s a neat idea.” I just started a lavender Old Fashioned that is absolutely delicious and I am doing a Thomas Jefferson small batch Bourbon with New Orleans bitters. You have to be creative and fun. You have to give them something that you won’t run into that often or ever. That makes my days fun.
Tell me a little bit more why you have a scratch kitchen?
When I took the wife and kids out, we always had to travel. I am a foodie. I respect the ingredients. There’s no other way to be authentic. I can’t pull fries out of the freezer and drop them in the fryer. We have to cut them. It’s real food. That’s what I want to eat. It played into the whole Founders theme. Let’s get back to basics.
How difficult is it to have a scratch kitchen?
It’s a beast. It’s absolute insanity. I couldn’t do it again at the Wild Tomato, although we do make a lot of our own sauces. But we do have a freezer there. It’s just so much to manage with six-days-a-week deliveries.
Tell me about your restaurant that opened in Bel Airin October.
It’s called the Wild Tomato. What I did with this restaurant is took the country and split it into three sections. So, the menu is East Coast, Mid-West, and West Coast. It’s really regional fare in desserts, appetizers, and pasta. It’s an interesting way to approach a menu.
Why do you offer more than 100 different whiskey and bourbon selections?
Bourbon is the only [distinctive spirit of the United States] recognized by the government [by an act of Congress] in 1964. That is cool, and my favorite spirit is bourbon. I drink bourbon, beer, and very little wine. It makes perfect sense at Founders. We have worked really hard to get those hard-to-get spirits—Old Forester Birthday, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, and Pappy Van Winkle—and bring them to the customer. They may never have the ability to buy them. First, if they could find it, it would be one thing. If they wanted to drop the money to get them, it would be another thing. It gives them a look into that market. And our bartenders are savvy about cocktails and how to respect the bourbon.
Strawberry Basil Gin
Ingredients:
2 oz Hendricks gin
1 1/2 oz simple syrup
1 fresh lime
4 fresh basil leaves
2 fresh cut strawberries
Sprite
For garnish:
1 strawberry
Sugar for rim
Build in shaker
Muddle 1 strawberry, basil, lime, simple syrup
Add gin and ice, shake
Rim mason jar with sugar
Top with a splash of sprite
Garnish with strawberry
