THE ABANDONED TREE THAT BECAME A GATHERING PLACE
Go Behind the Scenes to Discover Hope on Park’s Incomparable Tasting Bar
A firestorm rips through an old-growth forest grove. A regal sycamore is felled by the forces of urban expansion. An old alder is removed due to the ravages of age and decay. Game over, right? Not quite—enter the chainsaw-wielding artisans at Paso Robles-based Deadwood Revival, who specialize in turning nature’s castoffs into masterworks of form, function and stewardship.
ABOVE: Hope on Park’s sidewalk tasting bar is a work of artistry and community, imaginatively crafted from a reclaimed sycamore tree.
One of these masterworks is a reclaimed chunk of sycamore wood that Deadwood Revival turned into the head-turning sidewalk tasting bar at our Hope on Park tasting room in downtown Paso Robles. Indeed, when it came to create the ultimate “wow” piece for guests and passersby alike, Austin Hope knew who to call.
“The bar at Hope on Park is one of my favorite creations, it’s a work of true passion and collaboration with Austin and Celeste Hope,” says Danny Torres, a former woodland firefighter who co-founded Deadwood Revival with Mitch McCormick, another fellow firefighter. “We looked at dozens of options and found the wood that spoke to them.”
The resulting bar is a visual symphony of grain, shape and color. But it’s also more than that—it’s the heart of an unfussy gathering spot, a place where you can lean an elbow as you taste our wine and make new friends. It is the epitome of functional beauty.
Up from the Ashes
The story of our sidewalk tasting bar actually begins 10 years ago, when Torres had an epiphany while fighting fires in the Los Padres National Forest here on California’s Central Coast. “I witnessed firsthand the terrible aftermath of those fires,” Danny says. “The sight of these once-majestic forests left for dead inspired me to take action. With Deadwood Revival Design, I was able to combine my passion for chainsaws and my skills as a sawyer in the most impactful way.”
And it’s not just forests that inspire Deadwood Revival’s work. Danny says that there’s a growing number of casualties as urban development expands into wildland spaces. Additionally, trees are frequently removed from urban spaces when they are no longer viable due to age or decay. Many of the trees lost to these various circumstances “are just thrown into the woodchipper,” Danny says.
But where others see trash, Deadwood Revival sees treasure. Best of all, they are making a positive impact on the environment, accounting for more than 6,000 trees planted and 1,300 metric tons of carbon stored.
ABOVE: Danny Torres and Mitch McCormick specialize in turning felled wood into works of functional beauty.
Joy, Color & Sustainability
The delicious irony of Hope on Park’s sidewalk tasting bar is that the grain of the wood looks almost too sexy to be real. “That’s sycamore for you, the grain patterns almost look fake,” Danny says. “And the truth is, much of what you see out there is fake—it’s just patterns printed into veneer. But this bar’s grain is 100 percent the work of Mother Nature.”
The bar is also notable for its artful epoxy fills, which are rendered in shades of Austin Hope’s signature orange hue. “Many trees that have reached the end of their lifecycle are riddled with insect damage, decay and cracks,” Danny says. “We fill them in and turn these so-called ‘defects’ into features. Whereas others see this wood as not commercially viable, we turn it into something stable and beautiful.”
You can also see Deadwood Revival’s work in the back bar at Hope on Park, as well as the stunning gathering table in the interior Discrete Room. Says Austin Hope, “We knew Danny and his team would deliver something special that would bring joy, color and sustainability to Hope on Park. Even then, we were blown away. This is why we go the extra mile to work with true artists who have something to say.”
