Design of a Chef
Sandy Banker is an interior architect at the Friedmutter Group. She worked closely with Chef David Burke to realize the design and detail behind David Burke Prime, located in Foxwoods Resort and Casino. Together, they pooled their creative inspirations to bring the project to life.
Give us an overall look and feel for David Burke Prime.
It's a very contemporary-style steakhouse that has the flavor of South American gaucho infused with Chef Burke's whimsy. It's roughly 13,000 square feet, complete with a bar/lounge, a main dining area, and a private banquet room for up to 100 people.
What factors into the inspiration behind the design and detail of any space?
I basically get a square box to work with. I start with "programming," or the basic requirements of the space: what is its function, and what do you need to accommodate within it? In this case, I asked Chef Burke how many people he anticipated to determine the size of his kitchen, bar area, dining room, and so forth. From there, the flow of how each area's function interacts with the others dictates traffic patterns.
How do you incorporate the client's personality into the physical facade of a building?
It's different for everyone, but basically I take a characteristic of their personality and reflect it into the design. For example, with a bubbly personality, I focus on happy colors. Since Chef Burke is very whimsical, I tried to incorporate elements that had a lot of curves and spaces within a space so that every corner you turn presents something different or unexpected. David Burke's cuisine is like that--full of surprises.
Are you personally inspired by Chef Burke's cuisine while designing?
Constantly! I love his food and his art of presentation. From the uniqueness of his Burke in the Box packaging and the patterns and colors he uses to the way he plates the food and presents his lollipops--it all gave me form and ideas for design. An example of using curvy spaces is the wavy ceiling in the dining room.
What is specific to Chef Burke's signature style in Burke Prime?
We took his salt blocks and incorporated them into a column surround that is backlit so they glow. The salt blocks are also used in the aging room in the kitchen. There is a centerpiece of glass rods, created by Michael Ayoub, who has contributed glass sculptures in some of David Burke's other restaurants. And then to complement that style and play off the gaucho feel, I designed glass drops over the bar that are a loose interpretation of boleadoras, the equivalent of a cowboy lasso. All the furniture was custom designed.
What is unexpected?
We implemented a new style of seating in the dining room: a combination of sofas with dining seating. And then there's the 35-foot wine tower that houses 7,000 bottles of wine. Thirty-five feet? How does that work within the Burke Prime space? It actually spans two levels of the casino since the ceilings are only 14 feet high. It crashes through the casino floor all the way up to the ceiling. It was part of a master concept we developed for Foxwoods. The tower is a metal enclosure that blends seamlessly with the steakhouse, done in warm earth tones and copper and lots of fiery red, which is what Chef Burke likes.
How do you think the aesthetics of Burke Prime enhance the dining experience?
More than ever, people go out regardless of a special occasion; they just want to try something new, and Chef Burke's cuisine is nothing short of an experience in its own right. I didn't want to take away from that but tried to make the restaurant itself an experience as well. The key element is that the space itself is broken up into little areas so that you can constantly experience something different as you walk around. It could be as simple as a change in the seating arrangements or color scheme--all white chairs then brown leather. That way, just as you get a choice from a menu, every time you go to Burke Prime you'll leave with a different impression from your visit.
