Page 44 - the NOISE October 2012

STORY & PHOTOS BY ANNABEL SCLIPPA
This is a story of two lives, expansively diverse and yet, completely and solidly intertwined. How does Florida meet California in the des- ert of Arizona? How does a carpenter meet an attorney-to-be? This is the story of Kelly Foy and Leta Hollon, together for a decade with Ms. Foy being slightly older, but, as Miss Hollon teases, “not by much.”
Ms. Hollon hails from Panhandle Pensacola. She first came West employed by an interna- tional company based out of New Orleans. “I was fortunate to be assigned the West Coast Region, which included Arizona. The first time I set eyes on Northern Arizona, I told myself I’d live there one day.” When she applied to law schools, Arizona State University was the only one west of the Mississippi, and when she was accepted, she jumped at the opportunity.
Ms. Foy was born in California, but raised in Arizona. Having grown up in Phoenix, she is nostalgic about the city of the 1970s and
1980s, when there were still open fields, or- ange groves and horse pastures. Today the two ladies live in the highlands of Jerome, escaping city for country, flat for extreme edge, metro- culture for small town cultivation.
Ms. Hollon knew she wanted to practice Na- tive American law in a small firm and Ms. Foy was ready to leave her established warehouse studio in the city. They decided to rent “just a quiet place to study for the Bar.” But once they got up to Jerome, even with the stress of study- ing, just being there sealed the deal. “We loved it, and didn’t want to leave.”
Ms. Hollon maintains her years in law school were not accomplished alone, and gives credit to her partner. “Kelley went through law school with me. She reviewed so many of the details that she should receive an honorary degree.” Ms. Foy had her own desires and talents to fo- cus on, and had found a studio space in the old Jerome High School where she set up shop. They both loved Jerome and were fortunate Ms. Hollon found a position in a small firm nearby.
Ms. Hollon began work for Vaughn Law Of- fices in 2005 and experienced law extending from litigation to jurisdiction on the reserva- tions. In 2006, she became an associate at Huf- ford, Horstman, Mongini, Parnell & Tucker, a firm with a long-standing track record of serv- ing the Native American communities.
Ms. Hollon then joined the Department
of Justice in the US Attorneys Office in 2008. States Ms. Hollon, “It was an amazing oppor- tunity, offering a great deal of trial experience.” She prosecuted crimes in Indian Country until 2011, when she transitioned to the Office of the Solicitor, within the Department of the In- terior, which is a federal agency that has within it the Office of the Special Trustee, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Indian Educa- tion, among others. Ms. Hollon explains, “It’s a privilege to see these places and work on tribal issues. Tribal nations are so incredibly diverse, even within a few miles from each other.”
Ms. Foy was a mechanical kid, always inter- ested in working with her hands. “I was the only girl in Shop in the 7th grade,” she explains,
“That’s where I first worked with wood and sculpting tools.” This passion turned to a career in the 1990s when she attended ASU for a de- gree in Fine Arts.
In 1997, after working multiple jobs at once, a friend from art school got her a job as a fur- niture carver for the company Abinicio, whose Latin roots mean ‘from the beginning.’ “Within a year or two, I took over the company and started Foy Studio Design,” which she’s con- tinued for about 15 years. In this time she has completed custom commissioned work for the Walton Family, Muhammad Ali, and many oth- er notables. Her pieces have graced magazines such as Arizona Foothills and PHOENIX Home & Garden.
Surprisingly though, she degreed in Ceram- ics, studying with the likes of contemporary masters, Don Reitz, Randy Schmidt, Paula Rice, and Don Bendel. Her continuing collaborations with these fine artists are a reflection of her ongoing relationship with clay. “I’m teaching Ceramics at Yavapai College currently.” That is on top of a list of commissioned pieces waiting to be created, her current projects in creation, and running a full-time cafe. And that takes us to Crema.
With their arrival in Jerome in 2005, both ladies knew their intention was to eventually buy a place. “We wanted to put our roots down. We were in for the long term and we knew we wanted to be here.” As Ms. Hollon details, “in Je- rome we could never afford to buy a building, and we had made a decision as a life goal to own whatever building we practiced our art in,
whether it was furniture, law, a restaurant.”
So they almost immediately looked down the hill. “I was always commuting through Old Town,” explained Ms. Hollon, “and would think ‘why are all these vacancies here?’ Old Town is a
sweet historic street, walkable to all the shops. You can park your car once and walk end to end without even getting short of breath.”
So they found their location and bought two buildings. The building housing Foy Stu- dio Design, known as Maison de Provenance, was purchased the same year as the building housing Crema Cafe, but its concept came first. Out of necessity to become a working studio, it was a faster renovation and was opened within a year.
A reader might remember the Crema build- ing as Manny’s Western Life Restaurant. All the menu items, interior decorations, and even the outside second story facade, were of a pseudo-western motif with silhouettes of cowhands adorning the exterior walls. The building needed much renovation before it would reach these ladies’ goal of returning it to what it looked like in a historic photo. Although they bought the building in 2006, Crema didn’t open until two years later. As Ms. Hollon ex- plained, “We had to do everything slowly. We tried to do as much work as possible ourselves, and so it was piece by piece. We would wait for Kelley to finish a furniture job to steal time away for the building.”
Ironically, in bringing the building back to historic fortitude, they were misjudged by folks who deferred to the newer history and took it personally. “When we were painting over the cowboy motif, people driving by would yell out of their cars ‘You’re killing a piece of art history!’ but actually we were reviving it. I guess it just shows how attached we are to the history of our little Old Town Main Street,” exclaimed Ms. Hollon. The large black & white mural in the courtyard is a replica of that very photo they were aiming for, circa 1930s. In it you might no- tice, it was a cafe then too.
Both ladies’ first jobs were in food service, and the original plan was to have a little en- deavor that was not too strenuous, and so orig- inally they opened with only coffee and home- made gelato. Having both traveled in Europe, they loved the coffee houses and gelato stands on every corner — a way to socialize, without
having to make time for a full meal. Says Ms. Hollon: “Our goal was to create community, to cross-promote strongly, and to provide long term benefits for the whole community.”
Like her furniture and ceramics, Ms. Foy puts the same individual creativity into her gelatos. “I make all of the gelato recipes from scratch — the base, everything.” The menu is a collabo-
ration of what they’ve both learned, and how they choose to support local industries. Ms. Foy continues, “We like to work with what is available. We get produce from Yum Yum, and we have baked goods from Orion ... we like to keep things simple, but still changing and growing.”
Creating a community within the Cafe is center to both of their hearts. Says Ms. Foy, “I’m there everyday. It’s all about the interaction I have. I know the name of almost every per- son who comes through the door. That’s the beauty... to have the community right in your space. It’s very special to have that.” And says Ms. Hollon, “It’s my home base. I travel for work and I’m always happy to come back, and return to the Cafe.”
The Crema Courtyard has hosted numerous events. Before renovations even began, the couple “envisioned the courtyard as a small outdoor venue for music, arts, culture and com- munity gatherings. We’ve been hosting musi- cians, artists, films, art exhibits, classes, knitting groups, since we opened in 2008.” Musician Dave Rentz and local artist Bear have been regulars. Mr. Rentz’s Sunday morning courtyard sessions have become an Old Town must-see. Art exhibits have included Ellen Jo Roberts’ photography and Tilt Gallery canvas prints by Michelle & Melanie Craven. In collabora- tion with the Sedona Film School, on every Second Saturday, starting at 7PM, patrons may enjoy free student film screenings. And Crema will begin hosting Fourth Friday Book Club, be- ginning 6PM October 26, with books available from our very own Bent River Books.
Crema — it’s more than a cup of goodness, it’s a way of life.
| Annabel Sclippa is an artist, a writer, and a jet-setter who no longer has to make other people breakfast. steakandmustard@gmail.com
44 • OCTOBER 2012 • the NOISE arts & news magazine • thenoise.us