Lambeau's America Kitchen and Taps aims to serve a piece of the American dream

James Verfurth took his admiration of the American dream and turned it into the concept on which Lambeau’s America Kitchen and Taps is based.

Verfurth, who opened the Highland Village restaurant in summer 2019, said the concept for the restaurant was born out of inspiration he got from looking at the life of Earl Lewis Lambeau, the founder of the Green Bay Packers.

Lambeau, who was working as a meat packer at the time, started the Green Bay Packers in 1919 with a $500 investment from his employer. Just two years later, Lambeau’s dream came true when the team was asked to join the National Football League.

“He lived his American dream,” Verfurth said. “And at that same time in America, in the 1920s, people who wanted to live their own American dreams came to America. They were building things, like the Empire State Building, the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge—amazing accomplishments. But they also brought their food with them from the countries they had emigrated from.”

Verfurth said that when designing Lambeau’s America Kitchen and Taps, he wanted the restaurant to feel like it was located in the basement of the Empire State Building. The walls of the establishment are decorated with art depicting a variety of American landmarks.

“We made some of the concrete walls exposed and added a lot of brick and industrial touches,” Verfurth said.

As for the menu: Verfurth drew inspiration, yet again, from football.

“We made the menu by creating a combination of dishes that are famous in every city that has an NFL team,” he said. “That was my inspiration for the menu—a celebration of America and the American dream.”