Friday, March 2, 2012
It took over a year and a budget that grew with every added day, but the Crumbzz Tasting Pavilion became a reality on January 27, 2012. That’s when Crumbzz held a black tie, invitation only party for the people who sacrificed their time and efforts to make our vision come to life.
Our 125 guests enjoyed fine food, great art and an insiders tour of our wonderful new facility.
On January 28th, we threw open our doors to the public with an official ribbon cutting and enjoyed the company of over 325 visitors who shared our cakes, coffee’s and teas as well as music by local musicians, flash mob poetry, pottery demonstrations, real-time art creations and more.
The following week we presented our complete menu, which included not only our cakes and Minizz but also some rather unique offerings (more on those in next month’s post). But the star of all these events was clearly our new baby, our first Tasting Pavilion.
Located in Historic Downtown Forney, and built in the beautiful old Spellman Building, an 1880’s structure that has sheltered many of Forney’s finest, our Tasting Pavilion is truly a beauty to behold.
Fantiscritti Tuscany Italian Marble counters from the same quarry as Michelangelo’s statue of David are complimented by Buckingham Slate floors and the original preserved bead wood ceiling.
Custom Corona accent lighting peeks through the beautifully sculpted, free-floating Velella sails that drift down from the ceiling. Authentic stage lighting is strategically placed to highlight the beautiful artwork of the local artisans of the Forney Art Council.
Sounds of Bocelli and Brightman fill the dining area, where guests enjoy the comfort of Carrera leather seating and sculptured aluminum tables, all designed to add to the chic feel of this exquisitely contemporary pavilion.
Each element is designed to provide our guests with an environment where they feel comfortable to kick back and enjoy the moment.
The unique look and feel of the Tasting Pavilion has already attracted attention from architects (famed architectural photographer Howard Doughty was one of our first visitors to photograph the many unique architectural elements of our pavilion) to movie producers (the producers of the short film New Hope found Crumbzz the perfect location to set the stage for their film, which will be aired at the LA 168 film festival in March).
Most importantly, our new home has gotten rave reviews from our guests.
To accomplish something as intricate as this project proved to be, we needed experts in each area that knew how to overcome the challenges we encountered on a daily basis.
We had a very specific vision of what our Tasting Pavilion should look like and how it should function. Choosing the right architect and general contractor were key elements in bringing that vision to reality.
After month’s of research, the design work was awarded to Ron Hobbs Architects and the construction of the project to General Contractor, Craig Randall Custom Remodeling.
Ron and his team were instrumental in converting our vision into reality. Their creative process enabled us to bring oftentimes vague ideas into fruition.
Praising the work of Ron and his team would not be complete without mentioning Wadona Stich, Ron’s Director of Interior Design. Wadona’s vision and focus on making this a memorable project, on all levels, was absolutely amazing. It became evident early on that the beauty of the design and quality of materials would not have happened without her direct involvement in every facet of the project.
Laying out on paper what needs to be done and how it should be completed is worth little if the general contractor, the person who oversee’s the actual construction of the project, is lacking in talent, commitment or ability.
Craig Randall had plenty of each. Craig’s intent to create nothing short of a masterpiece was evident in every facet of the job. Craig made sure the project reflected our vision and our architects requirements. He often went the extra mile in suggesting “improvements” whenever he noted an area that he felt could be improved, savings in areas that could be economized and workarounds for areas that could not be built as designed.
There were so many craftsman that were instrumental in the project coming together as envisioned and we are unable to name them all here, but a few stand out because of their amazing commitment to excellence.
Craftsman Jose Rodriguez of Natural Stone Designs who hand selected and crafted our beautiful marble counters into functioning works of art;
Austin Home Restorations, who installed one of the most stunning slate floors you will ever find in a bistro and did it over a challenging (half cement, half wood base structure), in the middle of our busiest construction days;
Armor Security who took it upon themselves to install not only a state of the art alarm system but also one of the best sound systems you’ll ever find;
Intex Electric, who proved that they were more than capable of solving the multiple lighting requirements of an art gallery, guest dining and culinary creation center that required multiple types of energy efficient spot lighting throughout;
Sun Painting who precisely matched our multiple color schemes and finishes and was also able to create the intricacies of achieving a multi-dimensional metallic finish in our culinary development area that met not only our extreme design requirements but also the county health department commercial kitchen requirements.
Our list would not be complete without including the committed members of The Forney Arts Council who planned, developed and hung the beautiful art work throughout the pavilion and finally The City of Forney whose dedication to create a special place in their historic downtown was evident throughout the project.
J Stephen
Next Month: Creating unique Tasting Pavilion offerings
inside crumbzz 