Projects Pat Kuleto

1 projects

1.1 design style
1.2 restaurants
1.3 other projects

projects
design style

fog city diner in san francisco, california

kuleto s work not fit specific school of design, , described being heavily themed , unique him. projects known whimsical features, , use of expensive, hand-crafted ornamental materials. says finds inspiration in many real-life objects, situations, books, places, , landscapes. feature multiple dining rooms, large bar kuleto describes altar legitimizes drinking experience , , exhibition kitchen diners can watch food being cooked.

kuleto s design process extemporaneous, rather planned @ beginning of project. creates fictional story each location, imagining old invented history. example, epic roasthouse imagined (and close real-life location of) pump house proposed never built backup fire protection system in san francisco, , have prevented of destruction fires caused 1906 san francisco earthquake, ruptured of cities primary water mains. restaurant pump house have saved city.

restaurants

kuleto considered 1 of west coast s sought-after restaurant designers . large, expensive, , independently owned, restaurants has built have tended successful. kuleto s 110th design, fog city diner on san francisco s embarcadero, built in 1985 resemble american diner, credited kuleto s first project gain critical attention , widespread popularity.

as of 1989, 122 of 125 restaurants had designed far had lasted more 5 years. boulevard, opened in 1993 @ cost of $2.3 million repaid initial investors within 3 years , of 2008 second highest grossing independent restaurant in san francisco, , 59th in united states.

one restaurant did not last 5 years branch of carnegie deli in beverly hills, california, opened in 1989 @ cost of $4 million, financed , run oil billionaire marvin davis in response davis belief existing delis in california of low quality. davis unwise business decisions , micromanagement of restaurant credited causes of decline of restaurant, went out of business in 1993. other projects include splendido (which closed in 2001) in san francisco, buckhead diner in atlanta, , papagus in chicago.

restaurants in kuleto served designer , co-owner include jardinière (with chef traci des jardins), san francisco s postrio (with wolfgang puck), farallon (an undersea fantasy mark franz), epic roasthouse (with jan birnbaum), waterbar (also mark franz), boulevard (a belle époque design in 1889 brick building survived 1906 earthquake, nancy oakes), kuleto s, mccormick & kuleto s (a joint project mccormick & schmick s restaurant group @ site of former maxwell s plum), in san francisco, , martini house in napa valley (with todd humphries).

other projects

in dining room @ nick s cove, in tomales bay, california

after making wine 25 years, kuleto established kuleto estate family winery on 800-acre (3.2 km) property in napa valley. purchased estate in 1992 replacement old home, had burned down, , spent next 5 years building 6,000-square-foot (560 m) home there, called villa cucina. although began growing grapes on ranch in 1993, , made own wine, had not opened commercial winery. construction of new winery began in 1999 , ended in 2003. of 2005 winery producing 7,500 cases per year of wine, sold in range of $20 $50 per bottle, 91 acres (370,000 m) of grapes. kuleto served owner, builder, designer, , co-winemaker. raises livestock , farms fish, produce , olives on property, of processed private events held on property. in 2009 kuleto sold controlling interest in wine business (but small portion of grounds , vineyards) small wine conglomerate run financier william p. foley, planned increase production more 14,000 cases per year.

in 2000 kuleto bought nick s cove & cottages, in isolated unincorporated town of nick s cove, between marshall, california , tomales, california along beach @ tomales bay in marin county north of san francisco. restored property rustic 1930s appearance @ cost of $14 million, reopened in 2007 inn of twelve cabins , 130-seat restaurant. 8-year project involved environmental mitigation (the restaurant s kitchen above stream bed; california red-legged frog, endangered species, discovered on property during construction), restoration of dilapidated building, , fishing pier.

nick s cove re-opened great recession beginning. saddled burden of $13 million in debt during time of economic insecurity, venture unable become profitable. in letter investors, kuleto said venture had been complete disaster, result being complete loss of financial investment. kuleto s own losses $5 million.

the business sold prescott ashe of golden gate capital in 2011, , still in operation.