Come visit!
www.stephcentral.com
Monday, March 4, 2013
Sunday, December 9, 2012
I'm in a Magazine!
This was one of those totally random, crazy things. Hubby and I were in the grocery store checking out magazines.I noticed that hubby had paused in one of the bridal magazines and wanted to show it to me. Imagine my shock to see that it was a picture of me! It so unexpected, that at first, he thought it was just someone who looked like me. The photo was from a mixer that we attended a few months ago. I totally forgot about it. Just a couple of days ago, some friends that I met at that same mixer posted pictures of themselves in the magazine and all I could think was “How did I miss such a fun event?”. He he. I didn’t miss it. I was there.
Friday, December 7, 2012
St. George Hotel in Volcano
Story by Stephanie Farrell, as seen in the Amador Ledger Dispatch December 7, 2012
The St. George Hotel in Volcano has a new owner Sharon Lundgren, new owner of the St. George Hotel in Volcano California Located in the heart of Volcano, the St. George Hotel was bought by
Sharon Lundgren.
The hotel has a rich history and is listed on the national registry of historical buildings. Lundgren grew up in Volcano, after moving to the small town from Southern California when she was eleven years old. Her father purchased the Volcano Telephone Company, that was located in Volcano at that time. The move was a welcome one for Lundgren, “I loved it. We roamed around in the creek. We rode our bikes half way to Sutter Creek and all around. We picked blackberries.” She was happy to live in Volcano as a child and made lots of friends, several of which she is still friends with today.
Because Volcano holds many fond memories for Lundgren and the fact
that she already owned property in the town, she was watching the hotel
that was up for sale for several years. At the time of purchase, she was
the only one who showed up at the foreclosure auction at the courthouse
steps. “Tom Blackman came with me that day as my advisor and real
estate respresentative. When they handed me a single sheet of paper,
instead of the usual mountain of paper that usually goes with the sale
of real estate, I was surprised at how streamlined the process was.”
The
hotel had been closed for only a few weeks. Lundgren planned to re-open
it immediately, but found that there was a lot of cleanup and repairs
that would need to be done before they could open. And to add to this
stress, just a few weeks after buying the hotel, Lundgren discovered
that she had breast cancer. This was a major set back. Anyone who knows
Lungren will attest to her tenacity and perserverance, and will not be
surprised to find that she is going full force with her plans for the
hotel. “It’s a beautiful property.” Says Lundgren.”You can just feel the
history. It just comes to life here. When I was a newlywed, I lived
nearby. I can remember listening to the jukebox being played at the
hotel. It’s a happy memory. It never crossed my mind that I would ever
own the hotel.”
In order to get the hotel, restaurant and saloon going again,
Lundgren consulted with the previous manager and owner. It was from that
conversation that she contacted
former employees Megan Watt’s and Jeff Norris and asked them to come
back to work at the hotel. Watts was the manager of the Whiskey Flat
Saloon and she was happy to return. “I knew that she wanted to bring out
the full potential of the place, because she really cares about it.
It’s not a hobby for her.” Watt’s says of Lundgren. As they were getting
ready to open, Watts says, We had a lot of regulars that were calling
to see when we would open. They are our friends.”
Joining Watts is Jeff Norris as manager of the restaurant. Norris has
experience in fine dining dating back to the Imperial Hotel in Amador
City when it was owned by Bruce Sherrill and Dale Morris. “Bruce taught
me to pay attention to the details. He showed me the art of fine dining
and how to serve people.” Norris went on to work at the Beverly Hill
Hotel before returning to his roots in Amador County. The chef for the
restaurant is Ray Mansu, also a lifelong resident of Amador County.
Mansu went to Columbia College to learn the art of cooking and just two
years after graduating, they asked him to teach classes. As for the
food, “I love dinner dishes, it takes extra care. I can make anything,
pretty much. It’s not about what I want to make, it’s about what the
guests want.”says Mansu.
The
hotel is being managed by Sharon Jones, a personal friend of Lundgren’s
for many years. “I’m doing whatever needs to be done, answer phones,
wash dishes, restoring furniture, anything. I will do whatever I need to
do for as long as I need to do it.” Says Jones. And, at the heart of
the entire operation, Lundgren can be found, making drapes, remodeling
the kitchen and more. Helping her with the decorating is her daughter,
Angela Lundgren. “I didn’t know she was going to buy the hotel until she
was on her way to the auction.” Angela says. She continues, “I think
that the St. George means a lot to the local people. It’s very important
that it’s owned locally and not by a big corporation.”
The hotel has twenty rooms, each room is
one of a kind with a theme that relates to the mining industry. The
hotel is furnished throughout with antique furniture. There have been
many upgrades including, flat screen tvs, new mattresses, new linens and
more. The Garden Cottage is a separate building with a cozy fireplace,
open floor plan, kitchenette, a secluded patio and a jacuzzi. The
Zinfindel Suite is a small house with a fireplace, dining room, living
room, bathroom, bedroom and has vaulted ceilings. The gardens are
available for weddings, parties and outside eating. Lundgren says, “the
gardens are so magical, it’s one of the main reasons I wanted to buy the
property.”
The Whiskey Flat Saloon, is a cozy, historical bar that has an old
time feel to it. The wood floors creak, it has the original bar from the
parlour and there are old photographs plastered all over. There is a
wall mural that may have been in the original bar.
Lundgren plans to continue to upgrade and redecorate and says, “The
St. George Hotel is the heart of Volcano. I want the community to enjoy
it and I want out of town guests to feel at home.”
The St. George Hotel is located at 16104 Main Street inVolcano. The phone number for reservations and more information is 296-4458. The restaurant is open serving food in the dining room and the Saloon Thursday and Friday from 5 pm to 9 pm, Saturday from 3 pm to 9 pm and Sunday from 3 pm to 8 pm with the Saloon staying open later for drinks.
The hotel has a rich history and is listed on the national registry of historical buildings. Lundgren grew up in Volcano, after moving to the small town from Southern California when she was eleven years old. Her father purchased the Volcano Telephone Company, that was located in Volcano at that time. The move was a welcome one for Lundgren, “I loved it. We roamed around in the creek. We rode our bikes half way to Sutter Creek and all around. We picked blackberries.” She was happy to live in Volcano as a child and made lots of friends, several of which she is still friends with today.
Because Volcano holds many fond memories for Lundgren and the fact
that she already owned property in the town, she was watching the hotel
that was up for sale for several years. At the time of purchase, she was
the only one who showed up at the foreclosure auction at the courthouse
steps. “Tom Blackman came with me that day as my advisor and real
estate respresentative. When they handed me a single sheet of paper,
instead of the usual mountain of paper that usually goes with the sale
of real estate, I was surprised at how streamlined the process was.” 
The
hotel had been closed for only a few weeks. Lundgren planned to re-open
it immediately, but found that there was a lot of cleanup and repairs
that would need to be done before they could open. And to add to this
stress, just a few weeks after buying the hotel, Lundgren discovered
that she had breast cancer. This was a major set back. Anyone who knows
Lungren will attest to her tenacity and perserverance, and will not be
surprised to find that she is going full force with her plans for the
hotel. “It’s a beautiful property.” Says Lundgren.”You can just feel the
history. It just comes to life here. When I was a newlywed, I lived
nearby. I can remember listening to the jukebox being played at the
hotel. It’s a happy memory. It never crossed my mind that I would ever
own the hotel.”
In order to get the hotel, restaurant and saloon going again,
Lundgren consulted with the previous manager and owner. It was from that
conversation that she contacted
former employees Megan Watt’s and Jeff Norris and asked them to come
back to work at the hotel. Watts was the manager of the Whiskey Flat
Saloon and she was happy to return. “I knew that she wanted to bring out
the full potential of the place, because she really cares about it.
It’s not a hobby for her.” Watt’s says of Lundgren. As they were getting
ready to open, Watts says, We had a lot of regulars that were calling
to see when we would open. They are our friends.”
Joining Watts is Jeff Norris as manager of the restaurant. Norris has
experience in fine dining dating back to the Imperial Hotel in Amador
City when it was owned by Bruce Sherrill and Dale Morris. “Bruce taught
me to pay attention to the details. He showed me the art of fine dining
and how to serve people.” Norris went on to work at the Beverly Hill
Hotel before returning to his roots in Amador County. The chef for the
restaurant is Ray Mansu, also a lifelong resident of Amador County.
Mansu went to Columbia College to learn the art of cooking and just two
years after graduating, they asked him to teach classes. As for the
food, “I love dinner dishes, it takes extra care. I can make anything,
pretty much. It’s not about what I want to make, it’s about what the
guests want.”says Mansu.
The
hotel is being managed by Sharon Jones, a personal friend of Lundgren’s
for many years. “I’m doing whatever needs to be done, answer phones,
wash dishes, restoring furniture, anything. I will do whatever I need to
do for as long as I need to do it.” Says Jones. And, at the heart of
the entire operation, Lundgren can be found, making drapes, remodeling
the kitchen and more. Helping her with the decorating is her daughter,
Angela Lundgren. “I didn’t know she was going to buy the hotel until she
was on her way to the auction.” Angela says. She continues, “I think
that the St. George means a lot to the local people. It’s very important
that it’s owned locally and not by a big corporation.”
The hotel has twenty rooms, each room is
one of a kind with a theme that relates to the mining industry. The
hotel is furnished throughout with antique furniture. There have been
many upgrades including, flat screen tvs, new mattresses, new linens and
more. The Garden Cottage is a separate building with a cozy fireplace,
open floor plan, kitchenette, a secluded patio and a jacuzzi. The
Zinfindel Suite is a small house with a fireplace, dining room, living
room, bathroom, bedroom and has vaulted ceilings. The gardens are
available for weddings, parties and outside eating. Lundgren says, “the
gardens are so magical, it’s one of the main reasons I wanted to buy the
property.”
The Whiskey Flat Saloon, is a cozy, historical bar that has an old
time feel to it. The wood floors creak, it has the original bar from the
parlour and there are old photographs plastered all over. There is a
wall mural that may have been in the original bar.
Lundgren plans to continue to upgrade and redecorate and says, “The
St. George Hotel is the heart of Volcano. I want the community to enjoy
it and I want out of town guests to feel at home.”The St. George Hotel is located at 16104 Main Street inVolcano. The phone number for reservations and more information is 296-4458. The restaurant is open serving food in the dining room and the Saloon Thursday and Friday from 5 pm to 9 pm, Saturday from 3 pm to 9 pm and Sunday from 3 pm to 8 pm with the Saloon staying open later for drinks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)