As the team constructed the exterior of Hawthorn on location on Hampton Island, Georgia, and the interior on a soundstage, Tobman wanted to bring in elements of real-world restaurants. Hints of now-closed Swedish restaurant Fäviken, Catalonian restaurant El Bulli, Sonoma, California, restaurant French Laundry, Chicago’s Alinea, and Copenhagen restaurant Noma can be seen throughout Hawthorn. El Bulli’s famed backlit spice rack was recreated in great detail, while French Laundry’s garden inspired the kitchen garden.
Tobman also worked closely with Dominique Crenn, the three-Michelin-starred chef of San Francisco restaurant Atelier Crenn, who was a consultant on the film. In speaking with Crenn and her team, it quickly became apparent that the Hawthorn kitchen had to actually function for the film’s action to feel seamless and authentic. Tobman purchased working kitchen appliances for the interior set build and acquired a custom-built open-flame stove from Savannah company Grills by Demant after seeing a similar one in local restaurant Common Thread. Although the kitchen is slightly larger than a typical restaurant kitchen, it is notably realistic.
Crenn was so impressed with Tobman’s set design, in fact, that she hired him to redesign Atelier Crenn, which is expected to open at the end of January. “It’s a real ‘art imitates life imitates art’ story,” Tobman says. “But if I can get a table now and then, it might be worth it..”
