KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI — Just southeast of West Q Avenue and South Eighth Street, behind Texas Corners Pharmacy, one may have noticed workers busily erecting what appears to be a new business.
If you’ve been craving to find out what that might be, the hint was in the word craving.
Cravings Corners, an extension of the family-owned Cravings Deli in Portage, hopes to be open late this year at 8107 Vineyard Parkway, owners Xin Wang and Anson Liu told the Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive.
RELATED: Local Eats: Cravings Deli brings Asian cuisine to Kalamazoo
Unable to find kimchi, roasted duck or other Asian favorites, the couple decided to open Pacific Rim Foods in 2008 in Oakwood Plaza, bringing an Asian-inspired grocery to Kalamazoo.
Having outgrown the small 3,500 square-foot space, they moved the store to its current 11,000 square-foot location at 229 W. Kilgore Road in Portage in 2018.
Coming from a family of chefs and restauranteurs, Wang had always wanted to open a restaurant of her own.
The new space provided exactly what she and her husband needed to expand the store’s footprint and also open a restaurant on location.
It wasn’t long after they opened the Pacific Rim/Cravings site when they moved out to Texas Township to raise their family. An opportunity arose and they purchased the land behind Texas Corners Pharmacy in 2019.
“We said let’s put this parcel in our back pocket and see where it’s going to lead us,” Liu said. “Then the pandemic hit. It really gave us time to think about what we wanted to do.”
What they’re doing is building a 3,000 square-foot restaurant just down the road from home.
Having the ability to build out the kitchen to spec and design the entire space, Wang said they plan to offer a menu that is about 70% similar to what Cravings offers and is 30% filled with new dishes.
“The new menu is still a secret, but we will have a stronger focus on presentation,” Wang said. “We’re hoping to kick up our Asian cuisine another notch. This (current) location is doing 10% of what was on my original, massive menu. That location is going to allow me to bring back other items.”
While both Wang and Liu were born in China, their food extends to all types of Asian cuisine — from Thai to Chinese to Korean and Japanese.
“The name, Cravings, comes from the things we crave,” Liu said. “So, when you come in you’re not looking for specifically Japanese food, Chinese food or Thai food. Just like our grocery store, you can come in and make a Thai meal out of our ingredients or make a Korean meal.”
Like the current Cravings Deli, the new space will offer both carryout and dine-in. With the ramp-up on presentation, however, Wang hopes people spend more time there.
“We want people to come into the restaurant and feel relaxed, be wowed by the good food and the quality of the food,” she said.
The main reason they are opening another restaurant, Wang said, is because they live there and like the thought of being able to have a restaurant to go to close by. There are no plans for a second grocery store at this time, as they both feel the current location is very central for the entire Kalamazoo County community.
“Our mentality has always been what can we bring of value to the community,” Liu said. “Fundamentally, we’re foodies. Ever since we met in our 20s. We love to cook. We love to travel. We go somewhere and think ‘could we bring that to Kalamazoo?’”
Both the grocery store and Cravings were built as a way to not just fill a void, but convenience themselves.
“Food has always been my passion,” Wang said. “Since I was little, my dad would have me try out new foods, say, ‘how does that taste?’ I would say it needs a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
“When we first moved here, besides Hunan Gardens and a few other restaurants, I could not find authentic food to eat. We would have to drive all the way to Chicago or Detroit, so that’s why we came up with this idea. We want authentic food, for us, and to show to the American culinary culture.”
The current Cravings staff will be split between the two locations when the new restaurant opens. As such, Liu and Wang will be hiring soon for staff at both locations.
For more information, visit pacificrimfoods.com/cravings-deli.
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