GILROY
– A French-born chef and resort manager who’s worked at Pebble
Beach and a hospitality-industry veteran from South County may team
up to launch a new venture in downtown’s landmark Old City Hall
building.
GILROY – A French-born chef and resort manager who’s worked at Pebble Beach and a hospitality-industry veteran from South County may team up to launch a new venture in downtown’s landmark Old City Hall building.
The City Council voted unanimously Monday to authorize city staff to enter negotiations with Daniel Barduzzi and Glen Gurries, who want to partner and lease the entire structure for a restaurant and entertainment venture.
Nothing’s final, but the two men have submitted a general proposal to lease the building for a full-service restaurant open for lunch and dinner, a culinary academy and multiple events in the upstairs hall such as business meetings, weddings, community social gatherings and local theater productions, according to a city staff report.
And despite a number of failed ventures that have come and gone in the beautiful but somewhat costly-to-maintain 1905 Baroque and Mission-Revival structure at Sixth and Monterey streets, the two men still see strong possibilities there.
“I believe we have incredible potential inside this building,” said Barduzzi, who is currently the managing director of the Stonepine Estate resort in Carmel Valley. “There’s plenty of space and the building is magnificent.”
City officials have been looking for a way to keep the landmark structure occupied, active and as inexpensive to run as possible since a major Gavilan College venture there ended. The community college had used a $450,000 federal grant to help subsidize several businesses there, including The Wild Rose House of Taste, a floral shop and a tamale business.
Barduzzi and Gurries are one of several parties who have expressed interest recently in using parts of the building, ranging from the city’s Visitors Bureau to the new operators of the Strand Theater. But Barduzzi’s was the only one that wanted the entire building and proposed multiple uses under one manager, said city Administrative Services Director Mike Dorn.
“This is multi-use and gets the city out of having to manage multiple tenants in the building,” he said. “The city has been trying to do that for a while and it was getting difficult.”
Although many specifics are still pending, in their letter of intent Barduzzi and Gurries said in general the new venture could feature both formal and casual dining components.
An upscale restuarant would emphasize California cuisine, and Barduzzi said the men are negotiating with a chef at “a pretty fancy place” in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, pub-style menu items could be served in the building’s courtyard area, for example.
“It’s not fine-tuned exactly, and obviously we’d like a little bit of mystery and surprise there,” Gurries said.
The men also anticipate opening a two-year culinary school – possibly involving Gavilan College – similar to that at the Culinary Institute of America program in New York that would serve the area’s tourist trade. Barduzzi noted the hospitality industry is the second-largest employer in Monterey County.
“We have a need for qualified people, for good cooks and front-of-house people,” he said.
Part of the building may also be used for a wine center featuring local wines and a tasting component. A bar is also proposed, and a display in the front of the building could highlight the city’s famed garlic industry and other local culinary items of note, Barduzzi said.
Upstairs multi-purpose rooms would serve a variety of uses including weddings, parties, charity events and theater productions, featuring an ongoing calendar of events.
The French-born Barduzzi has a pedigree in the restaurant and hospitality business.
After attending hotel school in that country, he came to the United States 30 years ago and opened an award-winning restaurant in the Boston area.
He came to California in 1980 and became director of food and beverages at The Lodge at Pebble Beach, where he opened The Gallery restaurant and coordinated food services for the 1982 U.S. Open. He has served as president of the Monterey County Restaurant Association.
“I’ve been in the restaurant business all my life,” he said. “My parents and grandparents owned restaurants. It’s the only thing I know.”
Gurries, who grew up in Gilroy, also comes from a hospitality background. His family built the Tickle Pink Inn in the Carmel Highlands area, and he has been a longtime managing partner of the historic Robles Del Rio lodge and spa in Carmel Valley, which is in the midst of a major improvement and renovation project.
Barduzzi opened and owned The Ridge restaurant – which was named “Best Restaurant on the Central Coast” by California Magazine – at that resort for five years before selling it to the Gurries in 1990.
Gurries said he’s always been interested in Old City Hall, calling it “a treasure of Gilroy.” When it became available, he contacted Barduzzi, who had always been impressed with the structure as well.
“It’s a beautiful building,” Barduzzi said. “I always thought people were pretty lucky to have such a site for a restaurant.”
Specific lease and use terms will still have to be negotiated.
Councilman Peter Arellano said Monday that the ideal use for the building would have included nonprofit or city-related elements. But officials can’t hold out for uncertainties such as more grants while the building just sits vacant, he said.
“It looks like the best deal we have right now,” he said.
Barduzzi said he’s aware of the history of prior ventures in the building and has been alerted to issues such as high utility costs. But there are valuable lessons to be learned from those past experiences, he said.
