By Sarah Golibart Gorman
Foodie Q&A is a series showcasing the Harrisonburg food community. Food enthusiast and storyteller Sarah Golibart Gorman interviews food and drink makers behind the Friendly City food scene. You’ll read about their origins, creative processes, aspirations, and go-to spots in town. Fresh articles drop the second Tuesday of each month from June 2024 to June 2025.
This month Gorman sat down with Paul Somers to hear about how he went from bar manager to owner of The Golden Pony. More than just a restaurant, The Pony is a music venue, bar, nightclub, and home to Outsiders everywhere.
Gorman: Can you tell me where you grew up and about the food you grew up eating?
Somers: I kind of grew up all over the place. I was the kid who was in your class for like two weeks and then you never saw them again at just about every school I attended until I got to around eighth grade. I was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and grew up a lot there and in Norfolk; then Chandler, Arizona; Atascadero, California; Fayetteville, North Carolina, and at each of those places, living in a lot of different homes.
My great-grandmother, who was the only grandparent I really had access to, was from Duplin County, North Carolina, North Carolina’s unofficial pickle capital. She used to make sweet pickles. There were always pickles around, and any time you visited a relative, they would have miniature sweet pickles. I always looked forward to that.
She also cooked chicken and dumplings, vegetable stew, beef stew, roasts, mashed potatoes, collards, and gizzards. I’m a big fan of things like chitlins, chicken gizzards, and North Carolina barbecue. The family would bury hogs in the ground with coals and cook them that way. Every family reunion while my nanny was alive featured slow-cooked pork that was just amazing.
Moving around a lot, especially in Arizona, where we were very close to the Mexican border, exposed me to a lot of Mexican food. We lived near the Santan Indian Reservation, so the food was, more accurately, indigenous. Mexican food became a pinnacle of cuisine for me.
I also lived with a Filipino family for a long time as a kid. Mama Lu was like a mother to me, and her food was so unique and distinct. I had a memorable experience at Boboko one time when I tasted beef rendang. It reminded me of flavors from Mama Lou’s cooking. Even though Indonesian food isn’t the same as Filipino food, I had this Ratatouille moment. I had not tasted that flavor profile in so long and I had only tasted it with this person that I felt a deep level of love for and I knew really cared about me. It was special.
Growing up, food was often scarce at home, so it has a deeper meaning for me. When I’d start at a new school there would be a two week processing period for lunch benefits. So for two weeks, you’re on your own. One time I had to bring a green pepper to school because I had zero options for my lunch. I wrapped it in tinfoil because I felt like that would make it look more intentional. When I got to school I was a nervous wreck. I knew I was going to have to eat it in front of people and it was making me insane. At lunch, I got to the table and I opened it up and I had to put on a show like, “Oh, yeah I love green peppers.” I took a bite and was so on edge. The boy sitting next to me, an alpha-type kid, started making snarky comments and I ended up hitting him. It was a big scene. It’s just crazy to look back at stuff like that now, and to be in a position of owning a restaurant.
Gorman: When did you begin getting into food and restaurant culture?
Somers: When I was 16, my mom decided to move to Nashville. I chose to stay in Portsmouth and work at Amory’s Seafood as a dishwasher. I lived with the Kuykendalls and Ms. Kuykendall was an incredible cook. She made all kinds of amazing Southern food—cornbread, green beans, soda bread, you name it. That was the first time I experienced a steady supply of dinner every night and felt a significant connection to food.
I’ve worked in kitchens and washed dishes, but the idea of service—putting up a good front and impressing people—was what captivated me. Working in the service industry means balancing your inner self with your service self. It’s about making people feel good and providing excellent service, regardless of your personal feelings. The humility required in this field—cleaning up after others, dealing with the messes—can be incredibly grounding. It’s a unique aspect of the industry that isn’t always acknowledged but is deeply important.
Gorman: What brought you to Harrisonburg and what’s kept you here?
Somers: After high school, I spent a summer in the Outer Banks and then returned to Portsmouth. I ended up at ODU, fell in love with philosophy and English. For the first time, I saw my own intelligence in the mirror. I had always felt like I was way behind all the other kids because when you bounce around the schools, you just stop doing the work. At college, people treated me like I was smart. And that was a huge deal for me.
After my first year, I moved to Harrisonburg with four of my best friends. I got a job at Ruby Tuesdays and went to Blue Ridge Community College. That’s where I became a bartender. I met so many people that I would become really close with and would have a big impact on my life. A friend from Ruby Tuesday’s got me the job at the Artful Dodger which is what put me downtown. I was there for six years doing all the art shows and managing the bar, doing all kinds of stuff similar to The Pony.
I’ve lived in Harrisonburg longer than I’ve lived anywhere else in my life by far, and it still doesn’t quite feel like home, but kind of like nowhere does for me. But I love it here. Doing all the art shows at The Dodger really put me in contact with other creative people in Harrisonburg.
The Pony came along and dovetailed everything together for me. It took my relationships with people like Grant Penrod, whom I met at the skatepark. He told me he was a lawyer, and I literally did not believe him. Every single thing I’ve ever needed in terms of legal stuff, he’s helped me with. And Colin from Bella Luna wrote our whole first menu. He’s the chef at a competitor restaurant, and he wrote our introductory menu at The Pony. Without that menu I don’t think we would have gotten the lease to the building.
And Elliott Downs and Lynda Bostrom did all the logo work, and Elliott did the menu layouts and stuff. Those were pieces that we would not have gotten the lease without because that’s what set us apart from everybody else. We were competing with like a dozen other entities and groups that were looking to get into space.
Gorman: Can you share more about what led you to open The Golden Pony?
Somers: After a lifetime in this industry, there was one thing I knew for sure—I wasn’t interested in opening a restaurant. I was into art, poetry, writing, and books. I wanted to be an English professor until grad school cured me of that. Being that close with your professors and studying under Shelby Stephenson at UNC Pembroke, who would become the Poet Laureate of North Carolina, was a privilege. He was a magical presence in my life and continues to bless me to this day with so many things.
I loved my time at The Dodger, but towards the end, things went bad. I wasn’t getting paid. Lots of people have Dodger stories about not getting their last paycheck and worse. I stuck around because I liked working there, but eventually, they owed me so much, and I realized I wouldn’t get it back.
I found out the bar manager spot at The Blue Nile was open, so I went to one of the owners and she hired me on the spot. I just love the Arefaine family so much and respect so much of their sacrifice and vision for The Nile. They let all this weird, loud, risque music get played in their basement, which nobody else would do. This couple that immigrated from Ethiopia in the 70s are the only ones that are down to have Buck Gooter shows. It changed the live music scene forever. When they decided to close, the idea of losing that made everybody cry. As the bar manager, I felt a way about it. All these people that I cared about felt away about it.
Everybody had this thought of, Could I open a restaurant? For me, it was a much more serious question because it was the only situation in which I would ever open a restaurant. It would combine all my skills and experience in the restaurant industry that I was planning to walk away from and engage my experience in art curation, shows, and culture.
I went into Matchbox on the Monday after The Nile closed to test the waters. Sometimes, you need to get in proximity to something to decide whether it’s feasible. After my first meeting, the Matchbox people were excited that I was interested. That’s when it really hit me—laying in bed at night, thinking about it, my heart beating like crazy, my mind full of so many ideas.
Valerie Smith of Larkin Arts was one of the first people I told, and she was super excited and offered to help. She’s so detail oriented, like a magician, she’s so so good at everything she does. She suggested a crowdfunding campaign and we set it up.
We kept it quiet until we secured the lease, and then launched the campaign. The response was incredible—$10,000 in 24 hours. It was the best marketing campaign we could have done, showing lenders that people were willing to invest before it was fully viable. The campaign raised $30,000 over 30 days, which, while a drop in the bucket compared to what we needed, was a huge step in the right direction. It demonstrated that the market was ready for this business.
It was a special time, like a montage scene from a movie. We were scraping the bottom of the barrel as opening day approached after having over a quarter million dollars run through our hands. After the first weekend, we had $20,000 in the bank, which was enough to give us another day. Now, years later, I have flexibility in my life, a good management team, great staff, history, and momentum. It just feels like The Golden Pony can and should be here forever.
Gorman: What aspirations do you have for the future? What’s next for you in your food journey?
Somers: I’ve loved the opportunity to engage the Spanish community more. Supporting staff like Alma, who’s worked with us for years and whose family’s from Oaxaca. Having the Noches Latinas on Saturdays has brought a lot of Spanish-speaking people around. That has given rise to more Mexican-inspired cuisine on our menu. In my mind, Mexican food is the pinnacle. Better than fine dining. It’s just this ancient, crafty food that, if you’re on this continent, is just what you should be eating. So I’m always looking to grow that.
Gorman: What are some of your go-to spots in town to eat? To drink?
Somers: Definitely Bella Luna. Thai Cafe holds a very special spot for me. Their coffee is so good, they use this New Orleans roast and make it super strong, iced or hot. I always get it hot with sweetened condensed milk. And then, of course, El Sol. I remember discovering it for the first time when it was on Elizabeth Street. The gorditas are completely off the chain. They’re doing incredible things with food and are so humble about it.
Gorman: Who would you love to serve at The Pony?
Somers: That would be HR from Bad Brains. His music and punk aesthetic meant so much to me as a kid, as someone who felt different. Punk music can deliver you from the treachery and sadness and misery of those things. HR and Bad Brains are the pinnacle of that for me. In 2018, he played a show at The Pony and hung out for the whole day. It was incredible, we ate on the patio, he was the nicest dude. He’s massive. A genius. He’s started so many trends. You can’t talk about punk music without mentioning him. The next day, he called and left a message for me and my friend Geoff, who booked the show, about what a great time he had. He ended the call with “I just want you and Paul to know that you are both spiritual brothers.” It was insane.
Stay up to date about events at The Pony here. Keep up with food and drink specials here. Visit The Pony at 181 N Main St. Harrisonburg, VA.
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