Entrepreneur Fred Harvey revolutionized dining in the west during the late 19th and early 20th centuries through his Harvey House restaurants along the Santa Fe Railroad, including La Posada Hotel. The success of Fred Harvey came thanks to his philosophy of serving quality meals using the freshest ingredients in an elegant atmosphere. Because we value the path Fred Harvey laid for us, Chef de Cuisine Jesus Nuñez has put together a three-course Fred Harvey-inspired dinner menu.
History
In 1930, La Posada Hotel—the Mary E.J. Colter-designed crown jewel of the Fred Harvey empire—opened its doors and began serving meals from their state-of-the-art kitchen. The stately dining room (now the lobby) and the more casual lunchroom (now Turquoise Room) offered premium service and quality food for 27 years. La Posada’s Fred Harvey dining was considered the finest in the region. In 1957, the Harvey Girls served their last meal and La Posada closed.
Saving La Posada
In 1961 the Santa Fe Railroad gutted La Posada and turned the once grand hotel into regional offices. Nothing was left of the fabulous Mary Colter interiors. In1997, Allan Affeldt and Tina Mion acquired La Posada from the Santa Fe Railway. In addition to reopening the hotel after being closed for forty years, they wanted to bring fine dining back to Winslow, but nobody thought it was possible.
Dining Returns to La Posada
Allan and Tina convinced their friend John Sharpe to take on the project. John, a famous restaurateur with fine dining establishments throughout Orange County California, took on the task. It took three years to design and renovate the old lunchroom and kitchen. They named the new restaurant The Turquoise Room after the private dining car on the deluxe Santa Fe Super Chief railcar. You can see one of these “Pleasure Dome” Rail Cars on the east side of our Affeldt Mion Museum in the 1930 depot. We are actively working to open the railcar to the public!
Turquoise Room Today
The Turquoise Room quickly built a reputation as one of the finest restaurants on Route 66. John Sharpe was twice nominated for a James Beard award as best chef in the Southwest for his unique interpretation of regional and railroad classics. John retired in 2020 but all of the Turquoise Room team stayed, from management to the kitchen crew. The legacy of improbably fine dining in the high desert continues under Allan and Tina’s leadership.