Profile: Tom's Town
In the Twenties and Thirties, Kansas City was booming with music, booze, and speakeasies, and behind it all was Boss Tom Pendergast. Despite prohibition, Kansas City was a hub of activity, ushering in the Jazz Age and earning itself the moniker Paris of the Plains. Kansas City natives and long-time friends Steve Revare and David Epstein, liquor aficionados inspired by the glamor of Kansas City’s prohibition era, opened Tom’s Town Distilling Company in 2015. Since then, Tom’s Town has earned multiple awards for their premium spirits and welcomed many thousands of visitors to their stylish art-deco-inspired tasting room in the Crossroads Arts District where you can observe the distilling process firsthand.
Photos by Kaley Kocinski
How did you and Steve meet?
Steve and I have been besties since second grade at Briarwood Elementary in Prairie Village. We rode a tandem bike together to sixth-grade field day. It was the talk of the class!
What inspired you to open a craft distillery?
Our family history...but from different sides of the liquor aisle. My grandpa was a rival bootlegger to Tom Pendergast, while Steve’s uncle was the District Attorney that put Pendergast in prison. But the biggest inspiration in opening a distillery; free booze!
How did your prior experiences prepare you for opening a distillery?
Steve and I are both very experienced drinkers. That helped us “curate” and “test” our products to be the best we could create on this planet.
What new things did you have to learn?
The whole ride has been about learning, re-learning and starting over from what we’ve learned. It’s been a rollercoaster...with loud screaming on both the way down and up.
What are each of your roles in the business?
We have a great balance. I am more into the visuals and the design of the spirits...while Steve makes sure we actually have and make the spirits we want to make. We’re serial entrepreneurs, so we’ve kind of got each of our roles down pat. Steve is also a hell of a receptionist, and just adores answering “what time is your happy hour” when the phone rings.
How does the spirit of the Tom Pendergast era inspire your business?
Irreverence, glamour, rule-breaking and being your own boss. The era was radical from the birth of jazz to the hedonism of the party scene filled with booze. It was a glamorous time...you didn’t go out in your work shirt, you got dolled up…and the world was your oyster.
There’s so much history tied into your company. When and how did you discover your own family connections to Tom Pendergast?
It was a gradual process for both of us. The truth is, much of the Pendergast story was an embarrassment to my family. Who wants to be the grandson of a bootlegger? I do! But even Steve’s family didn’t really revel in the story of Uncle Maurice Milligan, the District Attorney that put Tom behind bars. Kansas City for years was embarrassed by the Pendergast story. We have opened up Pandora’s box and said, “come out to play!”
Tell me about your team. How does everyone work together and make the magic happen at Tom’s Town?
Our head distiller, Brian Harper, is a driven guy. He is passionate about making the best spirits and works 24/7. In fact, he is probably asleep on our office couch while I write this! He has a team that works with him...each is more passionate than the next in their drive toward creation and development.
We also have a tasting room which helps evoke the spirit of Tom Pendergast. It looks and feels like you’ve stepped into the life of Jay Gatsby. The folks that work there love to tell the story of Kansas City during the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties. But their favorite part is recommending some amazing cocktails made with Tom’s Town spirits.
What have been some personal highlights since opening Tom’s Town?
Winning USA Today’s Best Craft Vodka in America was definitely a highlight and made us all extraordinarily proud. But honestly, if you had told us in 2016 that 96,000 people would have walked into the doors of Tom’s Town last year...I would have reached for another gin martini.
Tom’s Town serves incredible cocktails and delicious plates. How are your menus built?
Lead mixologist JT and Curtis, our Head Chef, are students of the cocktail and culinary worlds. They are always playing with different recipes and concoctions. The most difficult decision they have every day is what NOT to serve...since all their inventions are pretty remarkable.
As KC natives, what are you most excited about with the way Kansas City is growing and flourishing?
The momentum is eye-popping. I can’t wait for the new downtown baseball stadium! But honestly, the best thing that has happened to Kansas City over the last 3 years is a rediscovery of our history. KC’s history is remarkable and frankly, pretty unbelievable. We’re finally embracing our past.
What’s your favorite cocktail you’ve ever had?
This is like asking us to name our favorite child. But if I had to, I’d say our own Pinky Blitz or Angry Goat. Our lead mixologist, JT, is a savant! Every day is a new favorite. Trust us, we’ve had a few!
