Culinary arts kitchen grand opening set for Friday at Creative Arts Guild

Published 8:02 pm Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The Creative Arts Guild announces the grand opening of its new Culinary Arts Teaching and Special Events Kitchen. A celebration will take place at the Guild’s main facility at 520 W. Waugh St. on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

The evening will include the first public viewing of the new space, live food demos and tastings by Julian’s Kitchens out of Cartersville, a ribbon cutting and a champagne toast honoring Jeanne Burr, the special lady who gave the gift that made this dream a reality for the Guild.

Creative Arts Guild Executive Director Amanda Brown shares, “The dream to create a culinary arts classroom kitchen was added to the Guild’s strategic plan in the early spring of 2015 after the return of a survey that asked area residents what they would like to see at the Guild. This desire first appeared at that time but remained constant on all future inquiries, suggestion cards and focus groups. We were certainly committed to the idea and believed that it folded right into our mission, but the barrier of cost stood in our way.”

Longtime Guild patron Jeanne Burr knew she wanted to give something meaningful to the Guild. When she heard about the desire to build a culinary arts kitchen that would also service special events (both for the Guild and for private parties), she jumped at the opportunity. She has many memories of helping to prepare for Guild events, both at the original location in the firehouse downtown (now the home of the Dalton Little Theatre) and at the current facility at 520 W. Waugh St. At both locations, the kitchen (or lack of kitchen) posed a challenge. With a nod to her dear friend Bernice Spigel (the Guild’s original executive director and one of her cooking partners at those early Guild events), Burr wanted to grant the Guild and the community this gift.

The kitchen was designed and created by Jay Thomas of Gable Point General Contractors. While Thomas and his business are based out of Cleveland, Tennessee, he is a part of the Guild family. His daughter is the current gallery director and a resident of Dalton, Savannah Jaye Thomas.

Jay Thomas and his team managed to create a kitchen that will be functional for a professional chef, will accommodate a class of budding culinary artists, will support many catered events and special occasions, all while having a welcoming feel.

“This is not your typical industrial kitchen,” Leanne Martin, the Guild’s facilities and operations director, explains. “While the kitchen is equipped with all the industrial appliances needed to cook and store food and wash the dishes after, it also has a wonderful warmth that will invite people to sit and enjoy live food demos, food and wine or beer pairing, and much more.”

Inspiration for the design was drawn from the generosity of this gift, Jay Thomas explains: “I would like to express gratefulness to all those who make the Guild possible with projects like this. In this case, Ms. Burr is the charming gardener who makes our souls blossom. I have been honored to be a part of the design and build of this very special kitchen”.

Brown invites the community to attend the grand opening celebration: “Please come and join us and bring your friends as we christen our beautiful new space — take a tour, view live cooking demos, eat yummy food, learn about our new upcoming culinary arts workshops and enjoy some champagne as we toast to our dear friend, Jeanne Burr!”

This grand opening is open to the public and free to attend. If you would like to add some sugar and spice to the Guild’s new kitchen, the kitchen is registered at https://smile.amazon.com/wedding/share/CreativeArtsGuildKitchen.

For more information, contact Brown at amandab@creativeartsguild.org or (706) 259-1974.