|
|
SIMON PEARCE TO OPEN GLASSBLOWING WORKSHOP AND RESTAURANT
ON SITE OF HISTORIC LENAPE INN IN WEST CHESTER
Simon Pearce on the Brandywine
Slated to Open This Fall
Glassblowing Workshop to Share Space
With Award-Winning Restaurant and Retail Store
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Anne Buchanan, APR
Buchanan Public Relations
610.649.9292
QUECHEE, VT (October 10, 2000) --- Noted glassmaker Simon Pearce today announced he will open a glassblowing workshop and upscale restaurant at the site of the former Lenape Inn on Routes 52 and 100 near West Chester, Pa. Simon Pearce on the Brandywine will open later this fall.
Located on the banks of the Brandywine River in the heart of this historic region, Simon Pearce on the Brandywine will be modeled after the original Simon Pearce facility in Quechee, VT. The site will feature a glassblowing workshop where visitors can watch glass being made from start to finish, browse in an adjoining retail store and enjoy lunch or dinner in the restaurant. The restaurant will specialize in creative American cuisine with Irish accents.
Simon Pearce operates 11 retail stores on the East Coast in such locations as Bethesda, MD; Princeton, NJ; Westport and Greenwich, CT; Boston, MA; as well as two Manhattan locations, but the Brandywine site will be the only other one to replicate the workshop/retail/restaurant concept of the original site in Quechee, VT.
Simon Pearce, a designer and blower of glass who came to the United States from Ireland in 1981, has successfully revived an art that had largely died out in this country. He selected the Chester County location because of its similarity to his Vermont site. "The Brandywine Valley is similar to the Woodstock area of Vermont," Pearce noted. "They are both beautiful regions, and our sense is that residents and visitors to the Brandywine region will respond enthusiastically to the Simon Pearce experience, as they have in Vermont."
The 28,000-square-foot space on Lenape Road in West Chester is being renovated to house the diverse site. The challenge is to blend industrial and non-industrial space into a modern yet comfortable environment. The restaurant and retail shop, which will occupy the second floor of the building, will have an open and airy feel with many fine details. Wood will dominate the space with a Danish parquet floor throughout, accented with maple and cherry. The first floor will house the food storage and preparation area for the restaurant and the glassblowing workshop, which will be easily accessible and open to the entrance foyer.
Visitors to Simon Pearce on the Brandywine will be able to observe traditional glass blowers at work. Creating in teams, they share the delicate tasks of hand blowing and hand finishing each piece. In the finishing stage of the blowing process, the piece is transferred from the blowpipe to the pontil iron; in doing so, a small mark is formed on the base. At Simon Pearce, this mark is preserved as a reminder that each piece is handcrafted and original and has become the Simon Pearce trademark.
Pearce also continues the family tradition of pottery-making, begun by his parents who started the legendary Shanagarry Pottery in County Cork, Ireland, by offering his full line of hand crafted tableware in the adjoining retail store. Both glassware and pottery will be sold in the 6,000-square-foot retail store. Prices range from $15 to $330.
The store will also sell the Simon Pearce collection of fine linen and other tabletop accessories for the home.
Serving creative American cuisine with Irish accents, the restaurant will offer such signature dishes as Horseradish Crusted Cod along with Ballymaloe Brown Bread. All meals will be served on the Simon Pearce line of glass and pottery, just as they are at Simon Pearce’s award-winning namesake restaurant in Quechee, Vermont.
The restaurant will seat 125 and will feature a selection of highly regarded wines. Meg Votta, formerly of Tabla in New York City, has been hired as executive chef. The manager is Steven Marston.
# # #
