|
|
Little
pocket of nostalgia:
Rick's was 3 months old on June 1. I can remember
the first days vividly - the cold nights before
we had our augmented electricity, fireplaces that
smoked, two barstools and no furnishings on the
first floor. What we did have - the ground floor
beautifully appointed, the piano, a quality menu
and most of all a tight team of people believing
in the dream - was enough to give Rick's a magic
kind of ambience. An article in the New York Times
travel section on February 22 caught the attention
of the US audience and clients appeared at the
door with copies in their hands. Most fun have
been visits from people who saw the house before
or during construction...I'll never forget a party
I had just after the sale was completed. I wanted
to celebrate the happy end of what had been a
tedious 9-month process. The delays mainly centered
around getting renters to move...one family that
occupied the ground floor were especially persistant
and finally the owner of the house had the electricity
cut to hasten the renter's departure. I held the
first party by candlelight with a small little
boom box playing Cole Porter tunes. That was in
September 2002, and as Sam says in the film, "there's
been a lot of water under the bridge since then."From
the beginning this project has been a personal
one and I think people feel that. Palm trees outside
and inside add a rich and colorful texture to
the ambience. We've played around with the lighting
and the cut brass Iranian and Syrian lamps fill
the white walls with dramatic shadows.
|
|
When
one walks in the door it's like entering a private
home with a party going on. I've always enjoyed
giving parties, but I never liked the cleaning
up. I loved to prepare the food, choose the wines,
fix the flowers, select the music and then invite
an eclectic mix of people and try to make them
comfortable. I've given parties visiting Buddhist
temples in Tokyo, viewing Japanese films in Prague
and celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Casablanca.
Now I have a party every night, and each night
is a different vignette - just as I imagined it
would be. Sometimes I may be part of the story,
other times I watch through the palm fronds from
my table. I have seen people sitting looking up
at the lights and the shadows of the plants on
the walls - they tell me they feel like they are
in the film and if people come here and feel romantic,
carefree or just relaxed that makes me happy..
I'm trying to create a little pocket of nostalgia,
sophistication and glamor that is hard to find
these days...and maybe an oasis of sorts, isolated
from the troubles our world is facing. This is
what draws the tourists and foreigners, but it's
been a great surprise to see the appreciation
resident Casablancais have for Rick's. While Casablanca
is a congested city of 5 million there are some
charming facets to be discovered. I learned a
lot during the two years I worked on the project
and met some fascinating people. I'm going to
use this column from time to time to introduce
you to people such as the man who made our lamp
shades and is presently putting beads on 42 table
lamps. I want to share more about the rich architectural
heritage here in Casablanca - one of the largest
intact concentrations of Art Deco right in the
center of town. If you'd like to be notified of
website updates, please e-mail me at: kathy@rickscafe.ma
|
| May
15 - June 4 |
| Kathy
Kriger |
|
