Deborah Johnson Wood
Olga Benoit has catered her Haitian-style cuisine in the Grand Rapids area for the past 12 years, and now she's opening
Chez Olga to bring her taste treats to the community on a larger scale.
Benoit came to Grand Rapids as a refugee and used to operate Benoit's Family Fashions on Leonard Street. But it is her love of cooking and the catering she's done that sealed her decision to start the restaurant.
Benoit has spent the last several weeks renovating the interior of 1441 Wealthy St. SE in the distinctive
McKendree Silver Works building. That space has seen its share of restaurants come and go, but spokesperson Monica Sparks of Sparks Consulting says the renovation will open up the space and make it more inviting.
"Customers are going to find a very festive but comfortable, relaxed feeling of, well, love, I guess is the best way to say it," Sparks says. "The recipes are time honored, passed down from generation to generation, straight from Haiti. Olga had to go to a lot of different vendors for spices, because she couldn't get the more uncommon ones at the larger food suppliers."
Benoit's tagline, "Feel the Caribbean Heat," is represented in dishes such as the fried plantains appetizer with spicy coleslaw, Creole chicken, and red beans and rice. The menu also offers a couple of vegetarian and vegan dishes, and everything is under $10.
The grand opening is July 9 and 10, with free food to those who have preregistered on the
Chez Olga GR Facebook page.
Chez Olga will be open Monday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Source: Monica Sparks, Sparks Consulting
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].
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