|
Grums:
Family Restaurant With Deep Roots in Westport, MA!
By Paul Tamburello,
special to EverythingWestport.com
Friday,
July 13, 2012
Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
 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.
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.
 “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.
  
Left: 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. Grums serves comfort food with a smile. Center: Sketches
of daughters Katelyn and Kelsey. Right: Kim and Kelsey behind the
counter.
Grums Family Restaurant
140 Charlotte White Road Extension
Westport, MA
Open 7 days: Mon - Wed, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thurs - Sun 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
508.636.0550
Living Literature RI presents Caleb’s Crossing.
EverythingWestport.com
Saturday,
July 14, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 7 p.m. Westport
Library, Manton Community Room.
In Caleb’s Crossing, author Geraldine
Brooks, Pulitzer Prize winner, paints a story of 17th Century life on Noepe Island (present day Martha’s Vineyard).
The
main characters are Caleb, an actual historical figure born in 1646; son of a
Wampanoag chief; Bethia, daughter of a Calvinist
minister (based upon an historical figure) trying to convert the Wampanoag to
Christianity; the customs of the settlers and native Americans; and the
landscape of Noepe.
Caleb
is educated first by the minister, then by the first prep school in
Cambridge, and in 1656 graduates from Harvard College. This historical
fiction novel became the 2011 selection for Reading Across Rhode Island, and
is on the Summer reading list of many local schools. Living Literature of RI
brings the author’s words from page to stage. Excerpts from the novel become
the script.
For Caleb’s Crossing, 3 actors give a
clear voice to the characters and story. The result is satisfying whether or
not you have read the book. Performance is about 1 hour. No admission charge
as this is the gift of the Friends of Westport Library to the community.
For
more information please call 508.636.1100.
© 2012 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved.
EverythingWestport.com
|