Set in a renovated c.1845 Gilded Age church, Revel 32 opened in November 2019 with a bang. Developers Jim and Gina Sullivan, who had previously renovated next-door architectural icon 40 Cannon Street, turning it into a multiuse space with apartments, a brewery, a wine bar, and an art gallery, intended Revel to serve as an adaptable, one-size-fits-all venue for everything from concerts and productions to galas and food pop-ups.
The elegant 20,000-square-foot space was just hitting its stride this winter, with a programming partnership with nearby powerhouse Bardavon and dozens of private events planned for the year. They were coming off the high of a successful Mardi Gras party on March 7 and prepping for a craft beer festival, when news of the lockdown hit. “We had a really healthy book, full of Sweet 16s, weddings, engagement parties, retirement parties. We were already booking Christmas parties for the end of the year,” says Gina Sullivan. “It all stopped. Everybody postponed or canceled.”
As a new business with a broad scope, the Sullivans were still very much in the marketing phase when suddenly they weren’t able to do any of the hundreds of things they had envisioned for Revel. “We were too new to just shut down,” Sullivan says. “So we tried to think: How can we help? How can we employ people? Anything to stay part of the community and just to be relevant.”
This summer, they ran Decadent Drinks & Desserts, a pop-up series bringing together beverages from 1915 Wine Cellar and Kings Court Brewing next door with pastries from local bakeries. “Businesses are doing their best,” Sullivan says of the pandemic’s challenges. “I waitressed all summer. I’m 50 years old, and I was serving dessert and drinks because that’s what I needed to do.” They also hosted four socially distanced micro weddings of under 50 guests. (One even featured face mask placeholders and hand sanitizer party favors!)
Tapas Pop-Up
With the end of summer and COVID relatively still in check in New York State, the Sullivans went back to the drawing board. “We had to start thinking outside of the box and come up with another way to use space,” she says. “Collaborating with other businesses that didn’t have space seemed like a good way to do that.” They reached out to Mike Polasek, owner of Simply Gourmet Caterers, whose business had gone dormant during the pandemic, to offer the space for a pop-up.
“He thought about it and came up with Alma, which is great,” Sullivan says. “We liked the idea of changing it. We did drinks and desserts, now there will be classic and modern Spanish-style tapas. Whether he continues it or another restaurateur comes in, we have a great space for smaller restaurants who would go broke operating at half capacity.”
On September 17, Alma opened for service with a menu of delectable Iberian specialties like pulpo a la Gallega (octopus), Spanish tortilla, and croquetas de jamon, plus some more innovative tapas like a brisket grilled cheese and salmon roll. Alma is also offering seven cocktails ranging in price from $9 to $12, craft beers and ciders, and a list of Old World wines by the glass and bottle.
“Every table was filled on Friday,” Sullivan says of opening weekend. “Some people started at the brewery next door, then came to Alma, then went to the winery. It was nice—a night on the town with three different experiences.”
Alma is open Thursday and Friday 5-10pm and Saturdays 4-10pm, and will run through the first weekend in September. Get the full menu or make a reservation.
Oktoberfest
In place of the Lucky Hops Beer Festival, which got postponed to March 2021, the Sullivans are organizing an Oktober Bier Experience on October 3. Sessions, capped at 50 people, will offer tastings, brewer talks, beer trivia, and other activities. The first session sold out immediately, but they still have two open at 12pm and 4pm ($60 per person, two-ticket minimum).
“Everyone’s first question is about safety, but when they get their comfort level met, they want to get out and see friends,” Sullivan says. “The way we’re doing it is that when you book tickets, you have to say who you’re sitting with and you can’t change it. It’s a really big room. We’re trying to do what we can. People seem really receptive. It’s kind of depressing right now. I feel like people are happy to do something social but safe.”
A Drum Roll Please…Presenting David Burke
Celebrity chef David Burke has a rolodex of restaurants under his management. The CIA grad is a familiar face from the reality TV show “Iron Chef.” He seems to attract accolades by the bundle, including being inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2009, and earning the title of number one steakhouse in Chicago in 2013 for the Himalayan salt-aged steaks he served up at Primehouse in the James Hotel.
Before COVID hit, the Sullivans had been in discussions with Burke on a catering partnership for events at Revel 32. “He was interested in coming back to the Hudson Valley,” she says. “We were close to finalizing the deal, then everything stopped.” After the worst was over, talks resumed, and now Burke is officially the preferred caterer for Revel 32. “So if you have an event there, you can choose to have him cater it,” Sullivan explains, though she’s careful to note you can pick your own caterer as well. “He’s a big deal. Two weeks ago, I went to Saratoga Springs to see what his restaurant the Blue Hen was like, and it’s amazing, it’s an experience.”
They are also considering organizing events around Burke, like a monthly supper club. “You can still have something small and amazing and safe,” Sullivan says. “We’re still very interested in the revitalization of the City of Poughkeepsie—what would be great for the area? What would people like here? How can we help?. We were on such a good trajectory before this happened. It felt like things were coming around, so we’ll keep plugging away at it.”
