The Grant Street area has been graced with its latest development via Sweet_ness 7 Café: The Tabernacle. The walls of this eclectic masterpiece are adorned with a mixture of Renaissance inspired art, gorgeous mandalas, Star Wars-esque paintings, Japanese calligraphy, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and the wild imagination of the neophyte painter Jeremy Twiss.

Twiss started out as a line cook at Sweet_ness 7 Café. Neither he or owner Prish Moran knew how their relationship would flourish, or how it would twist and turn, with Twiss transitioning from line cook to the sole painter of The Tabernacle.

The immense trust Moran put into Twiss is astonishing. Moran assigned Twiss the task to transform the once historic house to a Sistine Chapel-like creation, knowing he had little experience as a painter.

“He had his own complete ideas, he had full artistic license,” Moran said.

It turns out that Moran extracted Twiss from the kitchen to give him a break from the stressful environment, asking him to help roll some paint. “I don’t know how to paint,” he responded. Moran taught him how to set scaffold and mix paint, with the idea of creating multilayer blue skies and golden stars. Leaving Twiss to the task, Moran received a phone call from him one morning at 2am.

“I have an idea, do you mind if I try something,” he asked.

“Go for it, have fun,” Moran replied.

The next morning, she walked in to two painted figures and the Om symbol.

“It was like something took over my hands, and I just did it,” Twiss said.

Covered in goose bumps, tears rolling down her face, Moran was in awe.

And that’s when the magic began to unfold. Spending days and nights at the space, Twiss painted in the utmost conditions – suffering through cold winter nights and hot summer heat. Moran cancelled her previous ideas with other artists and allowed Twiss to explode his imagination onto the walls and ceilings of the revamped space.

The rest, you can see for yourself the next time that you are over the Grant Street way. The Tabernacle is open for business. They are also looking for bartenders. If you’re seasoned behind the pine, send an email to 220grantstreet@gmail.com.

The Tabernacle at Sweet_ness 7 Café | Open for dinner and drinks

211 Lafayette Avenue | Buffalo, New York 14213

(716) 883-1738

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Photos courtesy The Tabernacle