Forge’s New Facade

Posted by Mary Jo Almeida-Shore On June - 17 - 2010
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Shareef Malnik and Michael Gongora

Forge owner, Shareef Malnik held an exclusive cocktail for the unveiling of the renovated façade of the Forge Restaurant I Wine Bar, which was dramatically covered in white fabric. To the average observer driving by, the wrapped building may have resembled the work of Christo and the late Jeanne-Claude (you remember, the folks who wrapped the islands in Biscayne Bay a few decades back).

A gorgeous sunset served as the backdrop for this momentous street-side affair, during which Miami Beach commissioner Michael Gongora presented Malnik with a Proclamation and Key to the City and shared that he held his first victory party at the Forge a few years ago.  Malnik followed with a touching speech in which he told guests that he considers the $10 million renovation a “labor of love and the result of fine work.” He said that the Forge has a sense of community and that he is touched by the support of the community throughout the years.  Malnik closed with “I consider it a responsibility to serve you and feed you.” He then invited several people who were instrumental in “Forge of the future” to join him for the ribbon cutting and unveiling, including Chef Dewey Losasso and Michael Capponi, whose company, the Capponi Group  was critical to the project.

A collective, “Wow!” emanated from the crowd as Malnik pulled the enormous cover off of the façade of the building, which boasts a neoclassical design and seems to glow, illuminating 41st Street. 

Christo and Jeanne-Claude once stated that “the purpose of their art, is simply to create works of art or joy and beauty and to create new ways of seeing familiar landscapes.”  With the renovation of the Forge I Wine Bar, Malnik has done just that.

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