Dinner withAlumni
John A. “Sandy” Saxten ’63 TS Restaurants Hawaii and California Saxten credits his interest in restaurants with his first experience as a waiter while studying at Stanford. In 1968, he was fresh out of school and started the Rusty Scupper, eventually opening several restaurants in Massachusetts as well as in Philadelphia and Chicago before selling the franchise to Nestlé. (Classmate Biff Barnard, who’s on Saxten’s current board, was also involved with the Rusty Scupper for a few years.) “Restaurants shifted gears in the early ’70s,” he says. They brought in lighter natural woods, bright colors, younger servers and a more informal atmosphere, still with simple American cuisine. “We wanted to be a part of that.” In 1977, Saxten and his late partner Rob Thibaut opened their first restaurant in Hawaii. “We decided we loved restaurants. We liked the people, the upbeat tempo,
and the variety of the business skills required to succeed. We wanted to be in the restaurant business. “We were different,” says Saxten, “but we had the same values. We wanted to have restaurants in places we either wanted to live or go on vacation—and on water whenever we could.” Eleven other restaurants followed: five more in Hawaii and six in California, with more in the works including another Hula Grill in Waikiki, next door to their own Duke’s restaurant, “only a little fancier,” he says, “but not much.” “Our customers have grown up,” he says, “and we have to do more, be a little more sophisticated now. Our restaurants are wonderful places to relax and enjoy life with friends. We still consider ourselves a small company even with over 2,000 employees. With twelve restaurants—all in beautiful places where we
Poke Rolls, TS Restaurants Poke Roll Ingredients 1 pound Ahi, trimmed and diced (small) 1 bunch chopped scallions 1/4 cup chopped pickled ginger 1/3 cup soy sauce 2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon red chili flakes 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 1 teaspoon sesame oil wonton wrappers Mix all ingredients together and wrap with wonton wrapper. After assembling the rolls in wonton wrappers, saute in a small amount of olive oil for two minutes or until golden brown. Slice and serve with dipping sauce." Poke Sauce Ingredients Equal parts: Honey Soy sauce Sirachi chili Dash of cilantro Mix ingredients together and serve.
ourselves would choose to live—and our greater size, we still consider ourselves just a small group of close friends.” California Restaurants Duke’s Huntington Beach, Duke’s Malibu, Jake’s Del Mar, The Cliffhouse (La Quinta), Jake’s On The Lake (Tahoe City), and Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge (Tahoe City) Hawaii Restaurants Duke’s Kauai, Duke’s Waikiki, Keoki’s Paradise (Kauai), Kimo’s (Maui), Hula Grill (Maui), and Leilani’s on the Beach (Maui) 䉳 Sandy Saxten ’63, right, with wife Dana and son Jack, says he wanted restaurants in places that they would either want to live in or visit on vacation—and on the water whenever they could.
Taft Bulletin Summer 2004
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