A publication for employees and friends of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Vol. 14 Issue 11November 2008
 

Headlines

Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Dedicated to Brumits

Unveiling the Brumit Center sign

A-B Tech President Emeritus K. Ray Bailey and A-B Tech President Betty Young unveil the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality sign while Janice and Joe Brumit watch during a ceremony Oct. 2 at Fernihurst

Janice and Joe Brumit

Local philanthropists Janice and Joe Brumit established an endowment for the continued support of the center that bears their name. Joe Brumit has been a member of the A-B Tech Foundation Board of Directors since 2002, and recently completed a two-year term as chair.

Culinary Arts student serving food

Culinary Arts student Wendy Rathbone serves food during the reception following the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality dedication ceremony.

Drama students serving as docents

Drama students served as docents dressed in period costumes and provided information about historic Fernihurst to guests.

A-B Tech officially unveiled the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Oct. 2, honoring philanthropists Joe and Janice Brumit and creating a fine dining venue to train students for the region's growing hospitality industry.

In a ceremony atop a hill once sought by George Vanderbilt for his Biltmore Estate, A-B Tech President Betty Young recognized the Brumits for their long friendship to the college and the community.

"You see the results of their passion for people and dedication to our community through their generous gifts of time and resources," Young said. "Joe and Janice also are two of the most humble people you will ever meet, getting their satisfaction simply by helping others, practicing service above self."

Joe Brumit has been a member of the A-B Tech Foundation Board of Directors since 2002, and recently completed a two-year term as chair. During that time, the Foundation set records for funds raised, scholarships awarded, and grants received. He and Janice also established an endowment for the continued support of the center that bears their name.

The Brumit Center is comprised of two buildings - a 39,000-square-foot facility called Magnolia that A-B Tech opened in 2006 to train students in its nationally-acclaimed culinary, baking and pastry, and hotel and restaurant management programs, and a recently-renovated historic structure called Fernihurst.

Built circa 1875 by Civil War Colonel John Kerr Connally, Fernihurst was once the center of social activity for the elite township of Victoria and the City of Asheville. The house takes its name from Connolly's ancestral home in Scotland, the 16th century "Ferniehirst Castle." A-B Tech acquired the building in 1974 and used it as offices before the renovation, which earned a Griffin Award for historic preservation from The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County.

The first floor of Fernihurst will become a classical-dining restaurant, enhancing opportunities for students to train for careers in an industry that created 20 percent of the region's new jobs in the past five years, according to Tom Tveidt, director of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce's Metro Business Research Center. The second floor of the building houses conference rooms and A-B Tech Foundation offices.

During the Oct. 2 ceremony, Young thanked the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, which provided much of the funding for the renovations of Fernihurst, and the local delegation of state legislators, which was instrumental in getting a Higher Education Bond Referendum on the ballot in the year 2000 that provided money to build Magnolia and assist with Fernihurst's renovation.

Bowers, Ellis & Watson served as the architect for the project and Goforth Builders was the contractor. "These teams of builders faced the challenges of renovating a home built 133 years ago, and gave us a beautiful showpiece for our culinary and hospitality students," Young said.

Young also praised former A-B Tech President K. Ray Bailey and Sheila Tillman, associate dean of Culinary Arts and Hospitality, for their vision to renovate Fernihurst.

The furnishings for the house were selected with help from the staff of Office Environments, which chose period pieces and paintings depicting the era when Fernihurst was built. Carolyn and Remo Turmeni also donated antiques that are on display there.

Fernihurst is one of three historic homes on A-B Tech's Asheville campus. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Smith McDowell House is the oldest brick home in Buncombe County and is operated by the Western North Carolina Historical Association as a nonprofit museum.

Sunnicrest, a home once owned by George Vanderbilt, was one of five houses built in the late 1800s on a hill overlooking the Biltmore Estate, shortly after completion of the Biltmore House. The houses served as rental property for Vanderbilt for several years until they were sold as private residences starting in 1911. Sunnicrest, the only house remaining, was purchased by the College in 1990 for use as offices.

A-B Tech Students Hone Their Talents For Fernihurst

Several A-B Tech instructors and students shared their time and abilities not only to restore Fernihurst, but to entertain guests at the dedication of the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality.

College President Dr. Betty Young thanked the following for their efforts during the dedication ceremony Oct. 2.

Photo Gallery   Culinary Arts and Hospitality program

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Tech Talk is published by the Communications Office for employees and friends of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
Editor: Mona Cornwell, Writer: Martha Ball, Designers: Justin Page, April Sides
Send submissions to: Mona Cornwell, Director of Communications, at mcornwell@abtech.edu
Publication of the next issue is scheduled for December 1. Deadline for submissions is November 14.