When the newly renovated and expanded Westmoreland Museum of American Art reopens in late October, patrons will be able to enjoy a new amenity.
Housed inside the Paul and Carol Evanson Community Room, part of the museum’s new LEED Gold annex, a mobile cafe cart staffed and run by The Supper Club of Greensburg, will offer soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
In keeping with the Westmoreland’s dedication to being kind to planet Earth through its new building’s LEED® Gold certification, the cafe cart will source from local farmers and follow sustainable protocol.
"I see this partnership as a wonderful way to support both a local business and increase awareness of green initiatives for a better planet," said Greensburg resident Judith O’Toole, the museum’s Richard M. Scaife director/CEO.
A manufacturer from Ohio is building the cart complete with a heated soup tureen, a hot pot for coffee and tea and a refrigerated section to chill salads and desserts, said Catena Bergevin of West View, the museum’s director of development.
"The mobile cart will stay mostly in the community room, named for one of our board trustees, but it can also be relocated to our lobby area for special events," she said.
The cart will cost between $15,000 and $20,000.
In the past, the museum had only a small coffee bar but no food service other than snacks. When the museum reopens at the end of October, lunch-only patrons will be able to have a complete lunch in the community room without paying the museum admission fee.
“We will not have a restaurant because we don’t want to compete with others in the area," Miss Bergevin said. "We will have tables and chairs for people to sit on as well as vegan and vegetarian options."
Besides having the use of the new cafe cart, the community room will also be a multipurpose space that can hold 125 seated patrons for events, such as wedding ceremonies and receptions, and up 250 for cocktail parties. For additional space, the outside terrace can be tented to increase capacity.
Greg Andrews of Greensburg is chef and owner of The Supper Club, which opened in June 2010 and is in Greensburg’s former train station, now a national historic landmark. Mr. Andrews said he took culinary classes in a multiyear program at El Centro Community College in Dallas, Texas, and had on-the-job training with Westin Hotels. While working for the Monterey Restaurants in both Mount Washington and Monroeville, he met his wife, Ashley, who is a Greensburg native.
"We feel that local farm-to-table dining is the most direct way for our guests to get the freshest and most flavorful food our region has to offer," he said.
At the museum, he said he hopes to develop his relationship with the art and cultural community because he feels that people who frequent museums and theaters are sophisticated and looking for something unique and authentic when dining out.
As part of a multiyear business plan tied to the renovation and expansion project, the museum launched Imagine What's Possible: The Westmoreland Capital and Endowment Campaign.
To date, over $28.5 million has been raised toward the $38 million campaign goal, which includes $20 million for the museum renovation and construction of the annex, $14 million to build the endowment fund and $4 million to operate the museum at a temporary space on Village Drive off Route 30 in Unity. At the moment, the museum annex has yet to be named, and naming opportunities remain open.
Following a VIP opening party Oct. 24 and a free community day Oct. 25, the museum will feature new works from the Diana and Peter Jannetta collection and recently acquired works from the estate of Mr. Scaife.
Details: 724-837-1500.
Dave Zuchowski, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First Published: August 21, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
