John Supik had the name and the building; William Norrick had the vision and the drive.
Norrick, 37, of Brackenridge saw banners for The Gathering Place outside the shuttered Ziggy’s Lounge on East Sixth Avenue in Tarentum.
Supik, who ran the bar and owns the building, home to the 13-room Tarentum Hotel above, put the signs up hoping to get a caterer to run the place. Norrick, who has his own catering business, has always wanted to run a restaurant.
Norrick reached out to Supik.
“I’ve been searching for a long time to find my own place,” Norrick said. “When I saw this, I had to get my hands on this.”
Norrick plans to have The Gathering Place open by the end of March.
As a banquet hall, Norrick said it will host weddings, reunions, birthdays, company meetings, holiday parties and fundraisers.
“I think something like this is what people need,” Norrick said. “We need a change in Tarentum.”
He’s also planning for other events and uses, including comedy shows, theater dinners, cooking and arts and crafts classes, couples dinners, and disco and under-21 nights.
If a Sunday brunch buffet proves successful, Norrick said he’ll try a Sunday dinner buffet, too.
“The possibilities are endless,” he said.
Norrick is a native of West Deer. Until recently, he was cooking at the Arnold No. 1 Fireman’s Club.
Norrick said he learned to cook from family and on his own.
“I love cooking. I build my own recipes,” Norrick said, adding he enjoys cooking southern dishes. His signature dish would be a fettuccine alfredo.
Norrick plans to redo the interior of the former bar so it’s brighter. He can see the finished space in his mind.
“Once it’s all done, it’s going to look nice,” he said.
Norrick said he plans to employ two cooks, two dishwashers and three to four servers.
His boyfriend, Shahn Boreland, a pastry chef and baker who works in the cafeteria at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison will be helping. Norrick said he makes a great cheesecake.
Norrick said he may look into buying the building from Supik.
Supik said the building remains for sale, but, “I’m not really pushing it too much.”
Supik said he thinks Norrick and The Gathering Place can fill a need between those who want more than a fire hall, but less than a country club.
“I think he will do good. I think there’s a market for that,” Supik said. “People are always looking for a nice place.”
Norrick is eager to get The Gathering Place open.
“The vision I have for this place, I think it’s going to hit it off successfully,” he said. “My mind’s spinning on all the things I want to do.”
