COURTESY OF JOSE QUINTANA
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The space possesses modern amenities within its throwback decor . Rather than the ballroom chandeliers featured at many luxury venues , the Ice House ’ s main banquet space is lit with strings of bulbs draped from the ceiling rafters . In the adjacent event space , the square configuration of the overhead light rigging suggests the temporary boxing ring that ’ s featured once a year during a benefit for the Bryan College Station Boxing Club . Concerts have also returned to the Ice House on Main .
“ Another of the important elements to this culturally rich environment is our commitment to the local catering community ,” Quintana says . “ We are friends with many of the area ’ s top restaurants , and we ’ ve set up our facilities to provide them the ability to succeed with their clients .”
“ We ’ re open to pretty much anyone our clients would like to bring in ,” says Ashley Mullins , event manager at both the Ice House on Main and the Stafford Theater , another Advent GX redevelopment project in the Downtown Bryan area . “ We ’ ve been asked , ‘ Can a food truck come park outside so we can have tacos at our wedding ?’ ‘ Of course !’ is our answer . “ We ’ ve also heard , ‘ Can Napa Flats come in the back and make wood-fire pizzas ?’ ‘ Sure !’ we say . ‘ We can make that happen for you .’”
Food is at the heart of most events at the Ice House on Main . And Jose Quintana knows the inherent value in a quality dining experience . “ Once on a trip to Rome , the group I was with stopped for dinner at a little neighborhood restaurant close to our hotel ,” Quintana says . “ It was late and when we walked in ; the owner told us he was closed . But after we chatted briefly , he welcomed us in , presented us a bottle of his best wine , fired up his oven and made us a late-night pizza for dinner ,” he says . During the rest of their stay , they ate at his establishment every night and became friends . “ I invited him to visit Joan and me in Texas . Four months later he did , and he cooked for us in our own home , an experience we ’ ll always treasure ,” he says .
“ Through food , relationships are formed , ones that often transcend geopolitical and cultural boundaries and which bring people together unlike anything else ,” Quintana says . “ That ’ s what we want the Ice House on Main to be for our community .” IN
32 July 2021