Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 34

Photograph by Heidi E. Reuter Photography

feature

John Giannopoulos and Dusty Wise

have become hotbeds for dining experiences and special events,
encouraged Landis to consider specifically someone with a background
in catering to run the restaurant and culinary
programs, and to then also take on catering for
weddings, programs, and special events. Landis
explains, "Catering would allow any partner to
balance out the risk of a new restaurant by also
having 60-70 catering events per year on-site,
including large scale events like the upcoming
Arts Festival | Reading and the 10th Annual IX
Conference in October." Giannopoulos claims
that after he visited the enormous campus, he
immediately understood what Landis wanted to
design, saying "GoggleWorks adds so much life
and creativity to downtown Reading. The campus
takes up an entire city block, providing all kinds
of unique opportunities for the people of Berks
County and beyond." Giannopoulos adds that
Sly Fox has been hoping to do more outreach to
the area and he sees GoggleWorks as the perfect environment for
food and craft beer.
While Landis and his team at GoggleWorks researched many
potential catering and bistro partners for consideration, Margaret
Murphy-Pendleton, Events Rental Director, found the candidate
they would target after tasting food from Chef Jim Churchman's
Homage. "Margaret oversees scores of events and bookings each
year," says Landis. "I knew I could rely on her palate; her sense of
culinary aesthetic. I thought, 'I have to call this guy.'"
Landis says of his first meeting with Churchman, "I was excited by
his background - his expertise and travels - and I was interested in his
process. I have heard of folks that have what's called synesthesia - where
they replace or rearrange sensory experiences, like seeing numbers as
colors - but I never heard of someone like Chef Churchman, who
has a similar kind of culinary experience to accommodate words or
pictures." Landis maintains that this type of unique creative take
34  COMMERCE QUARTERLY   FALL 2017

on food is just what an art center needs to distinguish itself from
other area restaurants. He adds, "Downtown Reading needs more
restaurants, and it's something that our co-founder and visionary,
the late Albert Boscov, stressed with me the last time we ever met.
He was excited by the dream of visitors coming to the
city for great experiences and great food."
To offer such fare, Churchman is looking to provide
a modern take on cuisine garnered from his travels
abroad - as a career research and development chef,
he's traveled to Peru, Thailand, France, Italy, Vietnam,
and beyond to build his culinary craft. In case you
were worried that the menu would take you too far
from home, Churchman says, "We are proud of our
rooted partnerships with select local artisans, farmers
and purveyors of sustainable foods and methods."
While there will be a bar in the restaurant, customers will also be able to take their drinks anywhere on
the GoggleWorks campus. Landis sees this as one of
the most unique opportunities. "Another thing that
John Giannopoulos encouraged," he says, "was for us
to consider a public venue liquor license. While we
first considered utilizing a satellite license from Sly
Fox, he conveyed the benefits of a public venue model: visitors can
go anywhere on campus with drinks, even outside, and they can
enjoy wine and cocktails, as opposed to just beer." Dustin Wise, Bar
Manager at Belly-Kitchen and Drinkery, comes to the venture with
decades of experience. "Dustin's background will be a real advantage
for pairing an artisanal approach to drinks to both food and art
programs," Landis says, as with allowing drinks into its 131-seat
Boscov Film Theatre.
"We've got the perfect partners for what we are hoping to create,"
Landis concludes. As with most things he continues working on at
the art center, he has vivid dreams for the future of the program.
He looks off, imagining, "I could see GoggleWorks partnering with
Lauer's Park, our local elementary school, to feature seasonal veggies
from their garden on the menu at Belly. I'd love to have a beer garden
out on the blighted Thorn street alley on the campus. I could imagine
an entire culinary program for young and emerging chefs." For now,



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017

Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 1
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 2
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 3
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 4
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 5
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 6
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 7
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 8
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 9
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 10
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 11
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 12
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 13
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 14
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 15
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 16
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 17
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 18
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 19
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 20
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 21
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 22
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 23
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 24
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 25
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 26
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 27
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 28
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 29
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 30
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 31
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 32
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 33
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 34
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 35
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 36
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 37
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 38
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 39
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 40
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 41
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 42
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 43
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 44
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 45
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 46
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 47
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 48
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 49
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 50
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 51
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 52
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 53
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 54
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 55
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 56
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 57
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 58
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 59
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 60
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 61
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 62
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 63
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Fall 2017 - 64
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2017
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