Written By Jane Frutchey
Annual trips to Vermont’s bed and breakfasts spurred Frank Tunzi and Jim Rowe’s interest in owning and operating The Buttersburg Inn, located in Union Bridge. By spring 2002, their dream became reality when they discovered that the inn’s owners were selling the restaurant.
Because neither Tunzi nor Rowe, Buttersburg’s co-owners, had formal training as professional restaurateurs, they’ve learned the business along the way. Tunzi had limited experience as a waiter. He also had worked as a tailor and florist before entering the food business. Rowe had a nursing background and was owner of an assisted living facility. Tunzi describes their first days of operating the inn as “scary.” About his four years in business, he said, “It’s a learning process every day. You never know what the day will bring.”
Tunzi is a native of Bari, a town on the Adriatic Coast of southern Italy. His parents emigrated to the United States in 1974 and settled in Hampstead, where they worked for Joseph A. Bank Clothiers. Tunzi’s mother often helps in the Buttersburg kitchen, preparing Italian meals.
Rowe, who grew up in Union Bridge, says he remembers a time when he couldn’t wait to leave the small town. But after several years of Baltimore city life, he felt the lure of his hometown.
Returning to Union Bridge to run Buttersburg Inn felt right, he said. He knows he made the right decision. “I grew up here. I’m a part of this community. People know me, my parents, my brothers and sisters.”
Recipes from Rowe’s mother and grandmother gave him and his co-owner a head start with the restaurant’s new menu. While Rowe tends to menu planning, cooking and baking, Tunzi oversees the wait staff and dining room operations, including music selections and seasonal dcor changes for the two dining rooms.
The building in which the restaurant is located, which dates back to the 1800s, has been used as a general store, grocery and soda fountain. According to Rowe, Buttersburg was a Quaker settlement that grew into a bustling town center with the arrival of the Western Maryland Railroad. Historically, says Rowe, the locals brought their homemade butter to town as payment for the goods they needed, thus the name “Buttersburg.”
Later, when the bridge spanning Pipe Creek was completed, the town’s name changed. Local residents constructed the bridge, joining settlements on both sides of the creek, and adopted the name “Union Bridge.”
Since taking over the inn, Tunzi and Rowe’s approach to customer service has evolved steadily toward warmth: They feel that patrons should feel comfortable, relaxed and at home.
“The aim was to create a nice environment serving great comfort food,” said Tunzi. “We want people to come and relax and enjoy each other’s company. Everything we do is homemade. It takes time. Even the noodles in our chicken noodle soup are homemade.”
Because all dishes are individually prepared, Rowe said, “[Customers aren’t] getting fast food, so they shouldn’t be thinking about eating right away and getting out.”
“Everything comes in fresh,” said Tunzi. All ingredients for their dishes–meats, seafood, produce and eggs–come from local producers.
Rather than the compressed-type turkey breast that is commonly found in a grocery deli, Rowe said, “Our turkey breast sandwich is made with fresh, roasted turkey that’s been hand sliced.”
One of the greatest joys of nurturing their business and watching it thrive, the partners say, is the customer relationships they have established. They enjoy seeing families expand and children grow as they come back year after year.
Community members have donated town memorabilia, family portraits and historic photographs of Union Bridge, many of which are displayed throughout the dining areas. Some customers have even brought–fresh from their home gardens–herbs, asparagus, tomatoes and rhubarb for Rowe’s recipes. And he says he uses those gifts.
A fondness for antiquing led the co-owners to locate a number of the restaurant’s Victorian furnishings. A friend with interior design expertise pulled the look together, helping to create the at-home ambiance.
Advertising is limited to word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers, who often return, said Rowe, with their out-of-state relatives. “We’re attracting people from everywhere–from Baltimore, to Rockville, to D.C., to Virginia.” Restaurant traffic also derives from local bed and breakfast referrals.
What keeps satisfied patrons coming back? Tunzi speculates that consistent service, flavorful food, generous portions and welcoming atmosphere are the keys. The restaurant maintains its highest-demand menu selections for returning customers who crave their favorites. Ever popular among those who frequent The Buttersburg Inn are the crab cakes, fried chicken, Delmonico steaks, shepherd’s pie, Reuben sandwiches, Maryland and cream of crab soups, and, of course, desserts. Top sellers are fresh strawberry shortcake–particularly in summer–and chocolate peanut butter cake, cheesecake and Jewish apple cake.
The greatest compliments that Tunzi and Rowe have received, they say, are invitations to move their restaurant to New Windsor, Thurmont or as far away as Connecticut. “People just feel that they don’t have a restaurant like ours [in their town],” Rowe says. “We serve food that’s home cooked and all made by hand from scratch. It’s not from a bag and not frozen.”
Looking back over over the last four years, Rowe said, “It’s been a bumpy ride, but we’re getting there.” In fact, the partners never tire of the sentiment that local patrons often repeat. “They tell us all the time,” he said, “Ôthis is the best thing that ever happened to Union Bridge.’”
Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa or Hershey’s Dutch Processed Cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans (one 13x9x2 inch baking pan can be substituted).
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in water. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into prepared pans.
Bake 30 – 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Prepare icing.
Peanut Butter Icing
1 lb. confectioners sugar
1/2 cup white vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk (for desired consistency)
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and beat several minutes, adjusting consistency with milk.
