Miguel’s Pizza - Where Climbers from around the World Go
Jul 27, 2016 3:19:18 GMT -5
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Post by Trix on Jul 27, 2016 3:19:18 GMT -5
Miguel’s Pizza — where climbers from around the world go as they make their way to Red River Gorge
Jul 27th, 2016
By Claire A. Johnson
KyForward intern
Drive through east-central Kentucky and you likely will encounter a smiling face with flowing golden hair resembling the sun on bumper stickers, shirts and tank tops.
Head toward the Red River Gorge in Powell County and you’ll find that image attached to its home.
The logo belongs to the iconic Miguel’s Pizza and Climb Shop, which for years has greeted rock climbers and tourists when they visit Kentucky’s renown Red River Gorge, part of the Daniel Boone National Forest and on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been designated a National Natural Landmark.
Located in Slade, Miguel’s is the go-to place for thousands of visitors and climbers who know the gorge – and the classic eatery – as a destination, based either on experience or reputation.
Owner Miguel Ventura once wanted to see the world himself. Now the world comes to him as climbers from foreign countries and around the U.S. make the journey to the gorge.
The sport of rock climbing has gained popularity in the past ten years. Those who tackle the gorge account for $3.6 million in regional economic impact, according to a study done by Eastern Kentucky University. And a good number of them stop off at Miguel’s, the last eatery before entering the park, which has no commercial development. On the way out, many of them stop off again.
Ventura’s family emigrated from Portugal to the United States. They passed through New York City and landed in Waterbury, Connecticut, around the 1960s. Waterbury was known during that time as the “Brass Capital of the World.” Ventura said immigrants made their way to Waterbury to work in the factories.
As a self-taught artist, he wished to see more. As a teen in Connecticut, he was accepted into the Rhode Island Schoool of Design but couldn’t afford to go. Instead he headed to California to open an art studio but returned to Connecticut to start a family with his wife Susan.
“I was an artist,” Ventura said, “so I tried to see what the world was like.”
Once back on Nantucket Island, Ventura became friends with a man from Kentucky, Neville Pohl, whose work was putting shingles on roofs.
“We kept in contact, and I visited in Kentucky.”
On that visit to Kentucky for a wedding, Ventura discovered Red River Gorge
Read More: www.kyforward.com/miguels-pizza-where-climbers-from-around-the-world-go-as-they-make-their-way-to-red-river-gorge/
Jul 27th, 2016
By Claire A. Johnson
KyForward intern
Drive through east-central Kentucky and you likely will encounter a smiling face with flowing golden hair resembling the sun on bumper stickers, shirts and tank tops.
Head toward the Red River Gorge in Powell County and you’ll find that image attached to its home.
The logo belongs to the iconic Miguel’s Pizza and Climb Shop, which for years has greeted rock climbers and tourists when they visit Kentucky’s renown Red River Gorge, part of the Daniel Boone National Forest and on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been designated a National Natural Landmark.
Located in Slade, Miguel’s is the go-to place for thousands of visitors and climbers who know the gorge – and the classic eatery – as a destination, based either on experience or reputation.
Owner Miguel Ventura once wanted to see the world himself. Now the world comes to him as climbers from foreign countries and around the U.S. make the journey to the gorge.
The sport of rock climbing has gained popularity in the past ten years. Those who tackle the gorge account for $3.6 million in regional economic impact, according to a study done by Eastern Kentucky University. And a good number of them stop off at Miguel’s, the last eatery before entering the park, which has no commercial development. On the way out, many of them stop off again.
Ventura’s family emigrated from Portugal to the United States. They passed through New York City and landed in Waterbury, Connecticut, around the 1960s. Waterbury was known during that time as the “Brass Capital of the World.” Ventura said immigrants made their way to Waterbury to work in the factories.
As a self-taught artist, he wished to see more. As a teen in Connecticut, he was accepted into the Rhode Island Schoool of Design but couldn’t afford to go. Instead he headed to California to open an art studio but returned to Connecticut to start a family with his wife Susan.
“I was an artist,” Ventura said, “so I tried to see what the world was like.”
Once back on Nantucket Island, Ventura became friends with a man from Kentucky, Neville Pohl, whose work was putting shingles on roofs.
“We kept in contact, and I visited in Kentucky.”
On that visit to Kentucky for a wedding, Ventura discovered Red River Gorge
Read More: www.kyforward.com/miguels-pizza-where-climbers-from-around-the-world-go-as-they-make-their-way-to-red-river-gorge/