Fifer’s Welcomes A New Addition With Craft House

The space adjacent to where the original Fifer’s Seafood stands in Elizabeth Station is now the newest addition to the Fifer’s business portfolio — Fifer’s Craft House.

Though it is a new business with a name distinguishing it from that of Fifer’s Seafood, the craft house serves as both a standalone shop and a complement to the pre-existing Fifer’s operation.

Inside, customers will find a liquor store complete with beer — both craft and classic — wine and liquor. A growler fill-up station is a highlight of the house, as is a small tap station that allows breweries to offer their wares during tastings that occur on the second Saturday of every month.

Tucked comfortably behind a well-stocked rack of wine, customers will also find a full-service deli. The deli space is run under the guidance of Jennifer Tayman, who has a number of years of culinary experience under her belt, even practicing under Chuck White — Sheryl Crow’s personal chef.

“I’m absolutely excited to be here,” Tayman said. “It’s a great one-stop shop.”

Billy Fifer, who operates Fifer’s along with his twin brother, said that the two siblings have been after that space for quite some time but never managed to secure it. “Unfortunately, the businesses were sold before Fifer’s could take over,” Fifer explained. But after a business folded without a buyer, the landlord asked the Fifer family whether they would be interested in taking over the space. “Obviously! Yes,” Fifer said.

The plan was to open a liquor store in order to offer Pasadenians a new selection of alcohol in the area. “We want to have the largest selection of craft beers in the area,” Fifer said. “We believe it’s a huge, growing market, and I really don’t think it’s tapped its potential yet.”

But as details of the new location expanded, the idea to include a deli was born. “The deli was not what we thought about first,” Fifer explained. “We thought about basically just opening up a liquor store.” But the Fifers saw even more untapped potential.

“There are not a lot of lunch places around,” said Fifer, who has lived in Pasadena his entire life. “There are a lot of great restaurants, but there are not a lot of lunch places in my opinion.”

Fifer said that the deli will give people a chance to stop into the business for a quick lunch and maybe discover a new craft beer that they may not have heard of before.

While Fifer’s Craft House is meant to exist as its own location, it does connect via doorway to the main Fifer’s restaurant. This, too, serves as an advantage to customers, as Fifer explained, because it offers just another aspect of enjoyment to the Fifer’s experience.

“People waiting for a table at Fifers can explore the liquor store while they wait and maybe even leave with a six-pack to go,” Fifer said.

The co-operator made sure to point out that it was “definitely cool” to open this addition to Fifer’s Seafood — a business that has been in constant operation in the area since 2001. Fifer began working at his family’s restaurant when he was just 19, but, though he said he has had a hand in helping the business evolve over the years, he was never able to put his own unique touch on the business. This addition gave him and his brother the opportunity to create a totally new and unique portion of Fifer’s.

“It was basically like we were starting off fresh,” Fifer said. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.”

In addition to putting his own personal touch into the décor and products sold, Fifer also developed the deli menu. Most offerings are classic but with a unique twist or flavor profile.

“I came up with the menu from watching food channels; I’m a big foodie,” Fifer said of his menu inspiration, adding, “We wanted to do something a little bit different so that this was a more gourmet deli.”

Fifer also hopes that the addition of a deli will fill a void left by the gone-but-not-forgotten Pastore’s Italian Deli.

“We remember when Pastore’s was open back in the day and the value of the deli trays that they did for the holidays. We want to be that next spot to feature that,” Fifer said.

Fifer’s Craft House is located at 8894 Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena.