At the corner of Jefferson and South 26th Street, Summa Dis Summa Dat and More stands out. It’s painted purple, outside and in.
Alayna Pearson has lived in the West End her entire life and, according to staff, is one of Summa Dis, Summa Dat and More’s best customers.
“My friend put me on to it,” Pearson says. “Now I come here twice a week. I’m obsessed.”
Her favorite menu item? The Philly Cheese Steak with teriyaki on the side.
“Chef's kiss. Love it,” she says, unfurling her fingers from her mouth after a pucker of approval.
The mastermind behind the recipe is Summa Dis, Summa Dat and More’s owner, George Anthony Pumphrey; Tony for short.
“That’s one of our best sellers, the Philly Steak combo,” he says from behind a sizzling grill. “I think it's the seasoning and how it's prepared, because grill-top, that’s the East Coast way, you know what I’m saying?”
The restaurant opened in 2019. These days Pumphrey says they keep busy from carry-out orders for lunch and dinner, but there are a few tables inside for customers dining in.
ESPN blares on a flatscreen TV hung above a workout bench next to some dumbbells and an unplugged soft-serve machine. Posters dedicated to Black excellence line the purple walls: Kobe, Muhammad Ali, Ice Cube and, of course, Michael Jordan.
“Coming up as a kid, who didn’t like Michael Jordan? Like my bedroom was literally a Lamborghini, with a big black black panther on top with Jordan posters all around it,” Pumphrey says.
On the wall closest to the register, the menu details the restaurant’s extensive offerings: Ribs, rib tips, catfish, cod, shrimp, burgers, Polish sausage, nachos, mac and cheese and more.
Pumphrey says the menu's many items are his own versions of well known classics, as well as recipes “borrowed” from other restaurants.
“What you see on those tables and what they serve daily [at other restaurants] that's not even a half of the menu,” Pumphrey says. “So you have the opportunity to go through them and be like, wow, why wouldn't they serve this? And why wouldn't they serve that?”
As talented as Tony is, one man can’t do everything. That’s where Henry Seargent Sr. comes in.
As Seargent jumps back and forth between the smoker, grill, register and storage, Pumphrey calls him the restaurant’s head chef. Sergeant himself is more humble about his role.
“Well, I do summa this, summa that…and more. If I have to be on the line, I’m on the line, if I have to do prep, we do prep. But that’s just the food industry,” Sergeant says.
Seargant’s cooking career began more than 50 years ago. He expresses his love for the community through food.
“I’m proud to be down here in the Russell area. And that’s what we’re trying to do, build this block up,” Seargant says.
Pumphrey envisions the restaurant as part of a larger transformation in the area’s vibes. He eventually wants to add seating and a gazebo to greenspace on the property.
“So [it’s like that] famous rap song, ‘Buy Back the Block.’ That's what we want to do,” Pumphrey says. “If we can buy this block then we can change the culture of the corner of this block. And it might push some of the you know some of that other stuff out of the way and just shine a light right here.”
