Business Notebook: Chamber's tourism guide provides a sense of where you are

Warwick - Are you looking for a good restaurant, a B&B, a cultural or recreational event for the weekend? The Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce recently released its 15th Annual Warwick Valley Tourism Guide & Calendar of Events 2006-2007. The booklet, designed and produced by the Warwick firm of Corporate Impressions, LLC, features a listing of interesting area events and attractions from April 2006 through March 2007. Major highlights, for example, include A Taste of Warwick, The Countryside Garden Tour, Applefest and The Warwick Valley Farmers’ Market. A user-friendly map will also help visitors and probably more than a few local residents find their way to these popular events and destinations. “Tourism is the number one revenue producing industry in Orange County,” said Linda Glohs, executive director of the Warwick Chamber. “Promoting our rich history, countryside, and vital downtown districts is crucial to area businesses. This year-round coverage ensures Warwick’s importance to the region.” The Chamber will distribute 45,000 free copies of the Tourism Guide & Calendar of Events at locations throughout the Hudson Valley, including the Thruway Information Center near Harriman, West Point and Woodbury Common, as well as in Sussex and Bergen Counties, New Jersey. The guides will also be available at more than 90 local businesses, the Town and Village halls and the Chamber’s “Caboose” headquarters on South Street. This year’s Tourism Guide begins with an introduction to Warwick and its various attractions followed by a calendar of events, advertisements and a listing of popular destinations by category. In the colorful brochure, award-winning photojournalist John DeSanto, a longtime resident of Warwick, captured the visitor’s eye with his collection of local visual statements. His work “Scenes from Pine Island, Florida, Greenwood Lake and Warwick” was selected for the front cover. Janine Dethmers, marketing director of Corporate Impressions, who managed the project, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and has a corporate background in trade show marketing, public relations, sales promotion and high-end events planning. “Visitors and local residents have come to rely on this handy guide,” said Dethmers, “to find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about what to do, where to go, where to dine, where to shop and where to stay.” Grand opening On Monday evening, April 24, Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard joined Alberto Dautaj and his guests for a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially marking the grand opening of the new Dautaj Restaurant at 36 Oakland Ave. Until recently, the stately Victorian Mansion was home to the former Warwick Inn. Dautaj, who decided to give this restaurant his family name, also owns three other successful restaurants. One establishment, Zana D, named after his daughter, is at 22 Railroad Ave. in Warwick. The other two are in New Jersey. Although Alberto Dautaj is a native of Albania, he learned his trade working as a chef in Italy. Like his other restaurants, the Dautaj Restaurant, which will be managed by his son Al, will feature Northern Italian cuisine. The Dautaj Restaurant serves lunch and dinner every day except Monday. There is also a full bar and lounge, a private room for parties and, weather permitting, an outdoor dining/cocktail area. For reservations or information on catering services call 986-3666. Business briefs • Warwick Valley Racquet Sports, 28 Railroad Ave., is still under the same ownership but was recently renamed B. Page & Co. The shop, co-owned and managed by fashion designer Brooke Martis-Sarmiento, is described as a distinctive new concept store. It will continue to carry top of the line tennis apparel but will feature more general weekend sportswear, also known as “casual chic,” with upscale collections such as Vineyard Vines, Juicy Couture, Norma Kamali, J. McLaughlin and Lilly Pulitzer. More to follow in a future column. • Wadeson’s Home Center will donate materials for the scheduled repainting of the 1810 House, owned by The Historical Society of the Town of Warwick. The project is part of a face lifting for the building, which will be open to the public in July. • On Tuesday, May 9, the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a direct networking luncheon at Ten Railroad Avenue in Warwick, 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is designed to provide guests an opportunity to promote their businesses and exchange business cards. Advance reservations are required. Contact the Chamber office at (845) 986-2720, or e-mail at info@warwickcc.org.