this ’ as we were renovating . I didn ’ t have any kind of plan . People in the community kept asking what I was going to do with it and I kept saying “ I have no idea why I ’ m renovating this building .” All I know is that I thought that it should still be standing . A lot of effort went into building this , and I wanted it to still be here for future generations after I was gone ,” Gumbert explained .
There was another problem , though . How in the world to fund such and extensive project ?
“ That ’ s when we got the entire village on the national historic register in 2014 ,” Gumbert said . “ Which allowed us tax credits and ability to use grant money .”
Gumbert then set out to reinvest that money into the building and community .
The effort garnered the attention of Preservation Kentucky , which awarded Gumbert the Ann Early Sutherland Excellence in Environmental Preservation Award preservation award on Oct . 8 , 2016 .
However , the journey from vacant build or Solidago was not over , and its impact on its community .
“ I DON ’ T KNOW ANY- THING ABOUT RESTAU- RANTS ”
According to Gumbert , a beloved downtown restaurant in Paint Lick burned down in 2010 .
“ The building sat there for a little bit and it was just burned out and there was this hole in the ground ,” he explained .
One day , Gumbert saw some kids playing in the area of the burned-out building and they were attempting to climb the remnants of a chimney that was left behind in the rubble .
Gumbert reached out to community members to and eventually bought the property and the lot and tore it down .
“ I thought , ‘ good , no one is going to die in Paint Lick from
this burnt building ,’ Gumbert recalled .
Shortly after , Gumbert said his neighbors in the village were asking him to make the building he was renovating into a restaurant since they no longer had one .
That ’ s when another problem reared it ’ s head .
The building had a straight pipe to the creek and Gumbert would need to get a plumbing permit in order to be able to have a restaurant .
For that , Paint Lick would also need a sanitation plane . “ Sanitation was a huge problem ,” Gumbert explained . “ I ended up buying the lot behind the building as well , which had a house that also
Solidago ’ s Tuscan Panzanella salad
had a straight pipe to the creek .”
Luckily , Gumbert ’ s environmental background and business was up to the task .
“ It was on Copperhead ’ s agenda anyway ,” Gumbert said . “ We would be knocking things off our local environmental to-do list by eliminated point-source pollution and failing septic systems in Paint Lick .”
Copperhead Environmental Consultants worked with the Garrard County Fiscal Court to establish the Garrard County Sanitation District ( GCSD ).
The first project completed by the GCSD was a sanitation package plant for the downtown business district of Paint
lick .
“ We built and bought 15 acres and put in our sanitation package . Every building downtown , and three houses , now are on the package . We have plans in the future to add more and grow ,” Gumbert explained .
In 2020 , the building was hooked up to sanitation and the reality of a restaurant firmly in place , with the added benefit of a more environmentally sound Paint Lick .
“ That package plan is the key to this restaurant , with a straight pipe to the creek we could ’ ve never opened ,” Gumbert said .
‘ YOU NEED SOMETHING ’
With 16 to 17 years under his belt in renovations , Gumbert was on the hunt for a chef for the restaurant .
Jon Baugh , a Lexington native and classicly trained chef , was the man who answered the call — thanks to a connection to off-roading , vehicles . According to Baugh , his brother is a regular customer of the garage across the street from the restaurant which specializes in custom off-road vehicles .
“ He told me about what Marc was doing and his plans for the restaurant and asked me if I was interested ,” Baugh recalled . “ So , I sent an email to Marc and came down here
Left to right : Lonnie and Sharon Wilson of Hoot Owl Holler Farm talk with Chef Jon Baugh .
September - October 2022 Madison Magazine 7