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Though he may no longer be there, his presence is still felt.
It’s in the stance of his daughter Carly as she works preparing meals for an event.
It’s in the name of his grandson, Austin Richard, who even at 3 years old is considered the man of the house.
It’s in the sunroom window filled with the family’s boots, a decorative but genuine touch of the country lifestyle that the whole family loves.
But it’s what Cheryl and her daughter Carly did after the passing of Dr. Richard Bogue in 2005 that has created a new legacy, one of their own making, at Cheval Farm in Imperial.
“Rick and I bought this place and we worked on it after we got married. We got married here and moved in the next day. It was originally an 87-year-old Army barracks. We built this,” Cheryl Bogue says of the family property.
Spanning 27 acres, the property is the place where Cheryl and Rick started their life together. Over the years, they hosted huge parties for family and friends. Then it became a place for hosting fundraisers, rodeo events and the celebratory gatherings of extended friends. Everyone would chip in to get things done: while others focused on decorations, Richard and his friend Tom DuBose, a longtime Valley businessman, usually headed up the cooking.
“It was kind of natural for Cheryl to continue that on and expand it, opening it up beyond family and friends. She couldn’t do it alone so Carly filled her father’s role in taking charge of the production and coordination of the food,” DuBose says. “Carly stands and looks just like her dad.”
Cheryl, who owned a couple of popular gift shops in El Centro and Brawley, says she couldn’t imagine moving off the property. “We always had requests to have events here, and so we decided to try it out. We had no way to know what it would be,” she adds.
Over time Cheval Farm became known for its outdoor garden weddings and smaller intimate events, and it soon established a loyal clientele. Cheryl recalls a group of women who put together a big birthday celebration each year simply because they enjoy the intimacy of having it at the property.
“We try to specialize in making events personal and giving the event a flair. One wedding we had a groom on a camel and a bride on a zebra. There’s not many places that can accommodate that kind of request,” Cheryl says with a smile.
The partnership between mother and daughter is as much a part of the family as it is the business side of their companionship. Over time, the women have worked through the lulls in business and expanded their ability to host indoor events as well as maintain their scenic outdoor notoriety. But it’s not without sacrifice.
Read more about Cheryl and Carly Bogue in the March/April 2012 edition of Valley Women Magazine in print or our online E-Edition.