Jumbo’s Win Win
Serving Up the Secret Sauce in Philo
by Holly Madrigal
Jumbo’s Win Win is hoppin’, with a line out the door and the happy din of families when I stop by one recent afternoon. The fall day is warm, with some folks retreating to the shaded patio out back to enjoy their meals. Kids laugh as they play Buck Hunter on the arcade game in the corner. The buzz of the retro microphone announcing orders ready for pickup creates a nostalgia for times gone by.
Owner Scott Baird takes a break from hustling orders at the front counter to describe what he has been up to. “The goal is to serve you guys what I serve to my kids. I didn’t do this for money; I did it to make people happy,” he says. “The burger sauce here, I’ve been working on this for 15 years, from one bar to the next. And now I know that this is it. The secret to this whole thing is the sauce. The sauce and quality of the ingredients. It really does tie the room together,“ he laughs, quoting the Big Lebowski.
Scott moved with his family from the Richmond area in 2020, but the seed of the idea behind Jumbo’s was planted long before that. “Eleven years ago, a friend of mine from the Bay Area lived up here. We came to visit, and this property was in the process of adding the main dining room of the restaurant on. I met Matt Lemons, the landlord, and we chatted. I thought it would be a cool burger place. A kickass burger place,” he remembers. “I could see that something like that could really work here.” So two years ago, the stars aligned and that burger place got its start.
Scott and Molley have three kids, and Jumbo is the nickname of their youngest. “I was originally going to call it Win Win, because I really think this place is a win for Anderson Valley, a win for families, and a win for us. My kids came home after a school Halloween parade to learn they have a little brother. And my son Arlyn Jasper said we should call him Jumbo. The name stuck, even though his real name is Redford,” Scott explains. “And ever since Jumbo was like two and he could recognize logos he wanted In-and-Out Burger. It was often easier to stop and grab a burger rather than deal with the fallout of not stopping.”
“I see this as a miracle in Philo,” says Paul Katseff, of Thanksgiving Coffee, as he waited in line to place his order. “I am totally blown away by what they have done here.”
“We remade this space to be what we wanted—the bold signage, the look of the space. Design really matters. Everyone thought I was a city idiot,” Scott laughs. He refinished the tables and relaid the flooring, balancing a nostalgic vibe with a modern aesthetic.
The team is essential to Jumbo’s success. Scott has special praise for cook Luz Bucio and general manager Rebecca Erdman. “Luz is so good that she cannot get off the line on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. When the rush really hits, she can see all the orders like Neo sees the Matrix,“ remarks Scott. Rebecca has worked with Scott for more than 15 years, previously at Trick Dog, a cocktail bar in the Bay Area. Cocktails were the focus of Scott’s early career. He’s designed beverage programs and crafted award-winning mixed drinks for bars and restaurants all over the world.
My favorite Jumbo’s item is the pickle beer. I unironically love this beverage. The combination of light beer with a slight pickle flavor blends salty and savory in a way that satisfies my tastebuds. On this warm afternoon they have made it into a Michelada to accompany my onion smashburger and fries—a perfect pairing.
The beer’s story goes like this: Long before the restaurant opened, an old bar manager friend of Scott’s went on a camping trip to San Antonio. He tried a pickle beer and thought, this doesn’t quite get it, but we could make this really good. Says Scott, “My friend reached out because we had all the experience in the cocktail world with balancing flavors. A few other people were trying to make pickle beer, craft brewers started trying, but they were always too garlicky or had so much acid it overpowered. But this one has it just right. “ The pair have the beer canned in Milwaukee in an old PBR factory. Now it is in twenty-two states across the US, including downtown Philo, California.
As we sit, a friend and vineyard owner swings by the table to say that they have cherry tomatoes that are ripe and ready. The chefs at Jumbo’s love to buy locally farmed or foraged ingredients. “It’s how you make friends. If a farmer comes in and they have a great batch of something, if someone goes out and harvests huckleberries, I’ll buy them. We’ll turn them into a soft-serve topping. This last year a lady brought in a bunch of black trumpet mushrooms. We made it into a quesadilla special, it was the most phenomenal quesadilla you have ever had,” Scott remembers.
On the day of my visit, the painted menu was just being rehung. Scott says the wooden menu will never change, inspired by the old burger joints that make a few items really well. Diners can choose from the Jumbo’s Burger, the Okie Onion Smash Burger, Pickle Dog, or a Chopped or Wedge Salad, among other items. All the meat is sourced locally and most of the ingredients are organic. They serve tacos and quesadillas. “All the tortillas are made in-house. We make up the masa and make them by hand. All the salsas are made here,” says Scott. “We’ll have more specials in the winter when we have a little more time. On the weekends, we do all the good hangover food from Mexico. Really good seafood, shrimp tostada, and spicy ceviche.”
The soft serve was a no-brainer, according to Scott. They use Strauss Soft Serve with an ever-evolving menu of toppings like olive oil, strawberry compote, lavender syrup, or house-made lemon curd. When I mention that I’ve heard the machines can be temperamental—I often go to another establishment, only to find the soft serve machine out of order—Scott assures me, “That’s not a problem here. Every week they disassemble the whole machine. It takes an hour and a half to clean it and make sure it’s working in top form. Then it becomes all about the toppings.” Strauss is such good quality that it really hits the spot.
It seems the special sauce that makes Jumbo’s a success is a commitment to quality, consistency, and community. A seated family of four chimes in, “We stop anytime we go by. I always get the pickled dog. We just tried the veggie open-face melt. And we had to get the soft serve with strawberry compote on top.” The kids smile up with ice cream-coated faces. Yeah, it seems like Jumbo’s Win Win has perfected the secret sauce for Philo.
Jumbo’s Win Win
8651 CA-128, Philo, CA 95466
(510) 414-2352 | jumboswinwin.com
Open daily 11am - 8pm
Exterior, interior, and soft serve photos by Luke Atwood Arbiol. Arcade game photo by Holly Madrigal.
