Alma Kitchen Plots Fall Debut in Jefferson-Chalmers

A new restaurant, Alma Kitchen, is planning to bring fusion food to Jefferson Chalmers this fall. The 85-seat establishment co-owned by longtime catering collaborators Gary Mui and Alicia Sanchez is currently under renovation at 14300 E. Jefferson Ave., according to the Metro Times.

Mui and Sanchez were awarded a $50,000 Motor City Match Grant on January 30 to develop the restaurant, which will feature a menu that draws on a variety of international flavors. The menu on the website (still under development and subject to change) teases options like andouille mac and cheese, pretzel fish and chips, chile rellanos, ginger chili hoisin-glazed charred scallion lamb chops. Alma is also expected to feature a full bar.

Through their lease agreement with Jefferson East Inc., Mui and Sanchez’ are required to employ more than 50 percent local residents, per Motor City Match. “We want to be a neighborhood spot, and support the neighborhood, and we just fell in love with the building. And we can make a bigger impact here than anywhere else in the city where there’s more development,” Mui tells the Metro Times.

The development of Alma is part of a larger effort to bring new businesses to the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood. Coriander Kitchen & Farm currently offers ticketed dinners in partnership with Detroit River Sports in the area. They’re planning to eventually open a full-fledge restaurant in Jefferson Chalmers. Fellow Hatch Detroit finalists Bar Botánica and Norma G’s Caribbean food truck are also in the process of building out brick-and-mortar locations in the area. Alma is aiming to open in September.

• A New Restaurant ‘Celebrating Detroit’s Cultural Diversity’ Is Planned for Jefferson Chalmers [MT]
• Plant-Based Demo Kitchen, Soulful Dining, and Others Win Motor City Match Grants [ED]
• Alma Kitchen Website [Official]
• All Jefferson-Chalmers Coverage [ED]