Happy 45th Birthday to Macaroni... The Inspiration for Test of Tyme!

By Susana DeFatima Silva, MA, Co-Founder/Proprietor/Managing Partner Test of Tyme, LLC, #1022805 and Wendy Brickman, MA/MBA, Brickman Marketing

Known for gorgeous home projects built to stand the test of time, Test of Tyme, LLC is a Monterey Peninsula-based full-service construction firm that restores, remodels, and builds homes in Carmel, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, and beyond. Test of Tyme, LLC has worked on many of the largest estates in Carmel and Pebble Beach, and many sprawling estates located throughout Central and Northern California. They are renowned for their superb Old World Mediterranean style and Victorian restorations which often features custom hand-carved wood elements in doors, floors, beams, windows, furniture and more. So, how did Test of Tyme begin?

Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pony stuck a feather in his hat and called it Macaroni…

In 1978, the award-winning wood artisan, Don Whitaker, a principal of Test of Tyme, LLC, began working on a Christmas gift for his daughter, Zephyr. It was to become a beautifully carved 50-pound rocking female horse that he named Macaroni. In prior years, Don worked at a local cabinet shop and had never taken on a special project of this type. Using a small plastic horse as the initial model, Don researched extensively how to create a durable and child-pleasing rocking horse. Don worked on Macaroni for months as it grew to become 3-feet tall and 4-feet long created from stained Alderwood with multiple pieces for the body, tail and legs, glued onto its hollow body.

Macaroni is now celebrating its 45th anniversary and has become a popular go-to wooden pony heirloom for both his children and grandchildren. It was while carving Macaroni that Don realized he wanted to create more creative wood carving projects and his career and reputation took off from there!

As Don explains, “Prior to working on Macaroni, I hadn’t been able to express myself artistically and wasn’t growing in my career. The enjoyment of the research and learning process, interpreting proportions, creating something without drawings, and the ultimate successful completion of Macaroni inspired me to go out on my own and become a sought-after artisan and contractor. Since then, I’ve enjoyed creating custom projects for our clients that are truly built to stand the test of time! A wonderful bonus, of course, has been to work with my daughters, both Zephyr and Amber, as Amber evolved into a talented wood artisan herself, inspired by growing up with Macaroni!”

If you can dream it... Test of Tyme can make it a reality!

Call Test of Tyme at (831) 655-2008 or email [email protected] to schedule your own private consultation.