There are many reasons to head to Westport MA this summer: thousands head to the sandy stretches of Horseneck State Beach, some aim for high end restaurants like The Back Eddy, some for the laid back eateries on Main Road - Ten Cousins, Marguerite's, Village Pizza, and The Bittersweet Restaurant. Many of the locals and perennial summer residents head for Grums. It's sort of like walking in the back door of a friend's house and finding yourself in the kitchen. The practical menu is loaded with reasonably priced comfort food made from scratch from as many local sources as the owner can find.
Grums Family Restaurant
140 Charlotte White Road Extension
Westport, MA
Open 7 days: Mon –Wed 6 AM-2 PM, Thurs-Sun 6AM-8PM
508-636-0550
Friday July 6, 2012
12:30 PM
It’s no wonder that Grums Family Restaurant has a homey feel to it. Most of the family works here. Named after the grand matriarch of Kim Jagmin’s family, three generations are here during my visit for lunch. So are a local cop, a farmer, several retirees, and a family of three. On today’s list of specials (there’s a hand printed list every day) – my choice is chowder and cakes. The clam chowder is New England style in a light milky broth, loaded with plenty of cubed potatoes and chunks of clams from local clam beds. The three deep fried golden clam cakes are breaded and filled with enough bits of clam to give authority to the trio.
Just about everything that comes out of the kitchen is made here from scratch, no cans or commercially prepared jars of the tartar sauce that arrives with my clam cakes. “The chicken soup is my grandmother’s recipe and the brown bread we serve is from a recipe I learned growing up in Westport,” Kim says.
After working for 17 and a half years at The Kozy Nook, a popular restaurant on Route 6 in Westport, Kim got the itch to own her own place. “I’ve always wanted to run a family restaurant but early on I wanted to spend time with my kids. Now that they’re older, I do because my two daughters work with me right here.” Among the seven working at Grums today, there’s Kim, her daughters Kelsey 17, Katelyn 19, and her mother Joan. “Mom bakes pies, runs errands, preps food - she does whatever needs to be done at the moment,” Kim says.
“My mother used to work with Kim at the Kozy Nook,” says Stephanie, another young waitress. Kim’s dad may not be there physically but runs errands and helps from afar. This pretty much defines the idea of a family restaurant.
Photo: back row Kim, Joan, Betsy, Angela, Katelyn; front row Stephanie, Kelsey
“I actually see my family more now than I did before I opened. We all have busy lives, but my aunts and uncles and cousins come here to eat every two weeks or so. My aunt will be here Sunday morning,” Kim says. “Grums” was the closest Kim’s brother could come to pronouncing “Grandma” when he was a toddler and the name stuck. Her photo is prominently displayed on the wall. From her fixed gaze, it appears not much got past her and is probably the only inspiration Kim needs to be sure everything is done just so.
“We are one big team,” Kim says. If you’ve been here more than once, Katelyn or Kelsey will recognize you and welcome you back. And every so often, Kim wipes her brow, pushes out the swinging door and heads from the kitchen to the serving area to chat up her customers. “We make a point of being an affordable restaurant. I work with what my customers want as much as I can. I had some customers who wanted Rhode Island Style Jonny Cakes so I went to Gray's Grist Mill on Adamsville Road in Westport, bought their stone milled flour and now we serve them.”
“They’re friendly but don’t overdo it,” longtime Westport resident Paul Maurice says, “they make sure you’re happy with your meal and let you eat it in peace.” Mr. Maurice knew Kim Jagmin from the Kozy Nook. When he heard she was taking a stab at running her own place, he became a regular. “It saves me 20 miles round trip and the food is excellent.”
This is not a job for the faint of heart, no matter how many family members pitch in to help. Grums is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, except for five major holidays. Even when you’re chasing your dream, it’s a labor of love.
Westport needs an eatery like this. A restaurant has been here on Charlotte White Road for generations. Spooners was here for ages then within a succession of several years Virginia’s, TJs, Erica’s - and now Grums. That young family of three can eat here without breaking the bank. And if they’re like me, they’ll be back soon.
Grum’s first anniversary will be August 16, 2012. If family togetherness has anything to do with longevity and success, maybe this time is the charm.
Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
=++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kim Jagmin makes a "Specials" menu every day. "It depends on what I have in the kitchen and what I find at the markets," she says.
Sketches of daughters Katelyn and Kelsey; Kim and Kelsey behind the counter.
The restaurant is small enough to retain a friendly, family vibe. "One of the things I like best is when customers start talking to each other between tables whether they know each other or have come in for the first time," Katelyn says.
Comments