Ms. Altman publishes EgretsNotRegrets.com and provides a first-person account of this event.
(Jan. 10, 2010) -- I've wanted to check out Bixby Knolls’ newest eatery, The Factory Gastrobar, since its opening late last year, and their Regerstock fundraiser was the perfect stimulus to shake me of my inertia. So with friends in tow, I headed north for their Oktoberfest-themed event benefiting the family of the late Clinton Reger, who died in a helicopter crash about two months ago.
Reger’s medical helicopter had just dropped off a patient at a Reno hospital and was returning to its base when it fell from the sky. All three crew members -- the pilot, a paramedic and Reger, a flight nurse -- were killed.
What’s the Long Beach connection, I wondered aloud to The Factory owner Natalie Gutenkauf. Natalie admitted that she had never met Reger, but that his brother, Brent (of the band Barley Legal), was a long time family friend and she wanted to help.
So Natalie and Jason Carver, also of the band Barley Legal, got to planning. And what started off initially as a fundraiser with some food and maybe one or two bands, quickly ballooned to the all day extravaganza that was Regerstock.
Natalie, who typically throws an annual Oktoberfest party, didn’t have one in 2009 as she was busy trying to open The Factory. So she decided to serve her German fare at Regerstock (alternatively named "January-fest"). Last night’s [Jan. 9] offering was plates of brats with German-inspired sides. I didn’t have any, and am still regretting it as everything looked absolutely delicious.
And while Natalie was busy planning the menu and readying her less than two month old restaurant, Jason was busy lining up entertainment. And did he line up entertainment -- twelve bands in 12 hours, with Barley Legal scheduled to delight twice, once at 6 p.m. and closing it out at 11 p.m.
When we got there, the place was packed and apparently had been all day. I asked Natalie if she had a sense as to how much money had been raised. She didn’t, but she did comment on how generous people seemed to be. In fact, one of "her regulars" came into the restaurant for dinner, unaware that a fundraiser had been planned. They stayed for the brats and donated a sizable sum.
The Factory, though still in its infancy, is doing well, says Natalie. She hasn’t really started marketing yet and attributes the restaurant’s early success to "good word of mouth" and "a great, supportive Bixby Knolls community."
I like her concept: really good food and really good (hard to find on tap, and very tasty) beer and wine, served in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. She also has a premise of caring -- she cares about where they get their food and how it is grown, ranched, processed and delivered. And she clearly cares about helping those in need, as evidenced at the event.
I'm told one hundred percent of the proceeds benefited Clinton Reger’s surviving wife and three children. The Factory staff and all bands donated their time. Various businesses also donated raffle items.
The Factory is located at 4020 Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls. www.thefactorylb.com
