Bonge’s Tavern, open since 1934, has a new owner. The Perkinsville Pork stays.

Four years ago, Jake Burgess called Tony Huelster, then the owner and head chef at Bonge’s Tavern in Perkinsville, with a business proposition: If Huelster were ever looking to sell, Burgess said, he would love to be part of that conversation.

“He basically told me to get lost,” Burgess said.

Bonge’s was part of Huelster's identity. The tavern opened in 1934 and he had owned it since 1999, delighting customers who flocked to the green-roofed building 40 miles from Indianapolis for Perkinsville pork, cornbread, steak and what Burgess considers some of the best seafood in the Midwest.

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While Huelster wasn’t ready to give it up, he told Burgess he admired his nearly 25 years of restaurant experience, including stints as a chef at Prime 47 and Sensu in downtown Indianapolis. Currently Burgess owns a restaurant group that bears his name and which operates FoxGardin Family Kitchen in Fortville, The Den in Carmel, Smoky’s Concession Stand in Lapel and other restaurants across the Hoosier state.

Three years after telling Burgess to get lost, Huelster, who spent five decades in the restaurant industry, called back with an offer of his own. If Burgess could find funding and make Huelster an offer, the beloved tavern could be his.

On Monday, Sept. 11, Burgess Restaurant Group will close on the sale of Bonge’s, Burgess told the IndyStar Friday.

Burgess has loved Bonge’s ever since his late father walked him through the back door as a 20-year-old college dropout yearning to be a chef. Burgess would go on to celebrate birthdays and other occasions at the tavern, a culinary jewel in a vast expanse of farmland two blocks from Perkinsville Community Church and several blocks more from anything else.

Now Burgess is an established chef with multiple restaurant openings, a far cry from the dropout with a dream. Still, when he pulls into Bonge's' gravel parking lot and sees the signature Red Gold Tomatoes sign painted on the side, he feels the same as he did more than 20 years ago: "Man, this is my little secret.”

“The walls talk to you when you walk through the door,” he said.

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With so much reverence for the place his father loved, the place that inspired his first restaurant FoxGardin Kitchen and Ale, Burgess doesn’t plan to change much about Bonge’s. The pork, cornbread and steaks aren’t going anywhere. While Burgess is used to taking over failing restaurants, he described Bonge’s as a freight train he aims to keep on its tracks.

Of course, taking over a restaurant that's a favorite of so many diners comes with pressure.

To make the transition as smooth as possible, Burgess will rely on Bonge’s experienced staff. Employee turnover is a constant threat in the restaurant industry, but Burgess said he believes Bonge’s can be an exception.

One notable addition will be chef Dean Sample, executive chef at Burgess’ FoxGardin Kitchen & Ale since December 2022. Sample has also served as executive chef at The Northside Social, Big Bear Biscuits and Meridian Restaurant in Indianapolis.

Despite Burgess’ accolades as a chef and restaurateur, he considers himself “just a dumb cook,” a student of the restaurant industry. "I really enjoy when you're on a busy Friday night and every table's full, drinks are poured, food is hot and there are smiles on faces," he said. But most of all, he said, he loves the way restaurants bring people together for what he calls the breaking of bread.

Burgess witnessed that breaking of bread countless evenings as a child sitting at the dinner table with his parents, brothers and sisters. If the phone rang, nobody would get up to answer it — 5 p.m. was reserved for family and the supper Mrs. Burgess had prepared. Her chili remains Burgess’ favorite, often served with spaghetti, crackers and cheddar cheese and, in a surprise to some, peanut butter.

FoxGardin fans will recognize the chunky, Indiana-style chili served with a dollop of peanut butter and cheddar cheese. Burgess said customers will often ask him why the hell there’s peanut butter with their chili. Then they try it.

“Damn, that’s good,” they’ll say.

But to Burgess, that’s just what chili, what food is supposed to be. Something to bring families together and share in the breaking of bread, be it Mrs. Burgess' chili or Perkinsville pork.

Contact dining and drinks reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@gannett.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @BradleyHohulin.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bonge’s Tavern in Perkinsville to change ownership