In 2002, he completed an externship at the Dilworthton Inn, where he stayed for two and half years. Over the next few years he became: a line cook at The Gables at Chadds Ford, Chef De Cuisine and Executive Sous Chef at The Farmhouse Restaurant, and Executive Chef at The Back Burner.
After building a foundation of knowledge on managing a kitchen, Tim and his wife Kristin, a former restaurant server and manager, set out to find a location for a restaurant to call their own in March 2007. Over a period of 10 months, Tim and Kristin (along with Tim’s parents) gutted and transformed the former Sovereign Bank Building in the center of West Grove into a decadent BYOB restaurant.
The restaurant is named after a significant number for the owners: their first date and wedding anniversary is November 12, Tim’s birthday is January 12, and Kristin’s birthday is February 12. Every 12th of the month is cause for celebration, so Twelves Grill & Cafe offers a one-of-a-kind 3-course prix fixe lunch menu for only $12.
Tim designed his kitchen to be very open with lots of elbow room to prepare his American style menu, which is made to order and reinvented every six to eight weeks. Pieces of Twelves Grill’s menu is influenced by places where Tim has lived: ribs in honor of his hometown of Chicago and grits and country fried steak from Dallas. The Smiths have always believed in supporting local businesses and the restaurant sources fresh, organic ingredients from local farms and suppliers.
As a lifelong fisherman, fish is hands down Tim’s favorite thing to cook. “I love getting a unique fish and doing different things with them. I love bringing out the different flavors of the fish, not just covering everything with sauces. I like to make the flavors shine,” said Smith. Tim has built a reputation around his crab cakes, a nightly special, which are bound by a shrimp mousse and served with smashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.
You might say Tim has an obsession with the first fish he caught at the age of four: he just got a large catfish tattoo on his arm, recently taught his 3 and 5-year-old boys to sing Jimmy Hendrix’s “I Wish I Was Catfish,” and added the Cornmeal Crusted Carolina Catfish with house made Andouille sausage, crawfish, cheddar cheese grits, and grilled green beans to the menu.
Tim doesn’t go a week without a Twelves Grill Burger: eight ounces of grass fed Birch Run Farms’ Beef, Lancaster cheddar, topped with grilled bacon from Green Meadows Farm on a Le Bus Bakery Brioche bun with house cut bistro fries. “I always wanted to go on the upscale level of food and serve high quality food. I always told myself, no matter what, we are going to have a burger on the menu,” said Tim.
Early on, Tim and Kristin made it a policy that Sundays and Mondays are designated family days, because he couldn’t miss watching his boys and 7-month-old daughter growing up. Those days he can sometimes be found visiting the Camden Aquarium with his family. He also enjoys time at home in Cochranville with his kids, Kristin, two cats, a basset hound, a Bermese Mountain Dog and a Weimaraner.
Twelves Grill & Cafe is located at 10 Exchange Place in West Grove and reservations can be made by calling 610-869-4020. The cafe hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m and carries tea, coffee, espresso, bakery items and light entrees. Lunch is from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner is served from 5 – 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday.
All photographs credited to Nina Lea Photography. View more scenes from Twelves Grill & Cafe by clicking here.
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