DETROIT – Ivy Kitchen and Cocktails is a new fusion restaurant on E Jefferson Avenue in Detroit.
"We are a neighborhood restaurant that is a part of the community. We want to become a community staple. We have a mix of Spanish dishes, Mediterranean, Asian and American fare,” said Nya Marshall, the owner of Ivy Kitchen and Cocktails.
Marshall said it’s food that’s not familiar to the city’s east side. She said the Jefferson Corridor lacks sit down places and fine dining, so she wanted to introduce that dining to many.
“The goal was to put something in the community that’s by someone from Detroit, that’s for the community. Everything that I have done, the design, everything is done with the community in mind,” Marshall said.
It’s a community that she wanted to give back to. Marshall said the first step to give back was to hire locally.
“That was important, to bring jobs, simply put. I remember being in Detroit and I worked when I was a teenager, so I have teenagers as dishwashers, high school students. My chefs, all of us are from Detroit,” Marshall said.
Local 4 interviewed Marshall nine months ago. Marshall was just starting to build her restaurant from the ground up.
“All of my work was done by local Detroit companies. Everything is rooted in Detroit, born in Detroit and from Detroit,” Marshall said.
READ: She grew up there and now she’s working to bring healthy food to Detroit’s east side
It’s a city she loves and is ready to serve.
“We’re ready. We’re ready now. You can say, ‘Come on, let’s do it today’ and I’m going to say, ‘Come on, let’s do it today,’” Marshall said.
Opening day is on Jan. 18 at 4 p.m.