Nina Santucci and Anthony Maiale have always intended to open a restaurant; they just weren’t sure how their particular style of food would be received by the community. One year, a food truck and two national recognitions later, the owners of
The Purple Carrot can rest assured that their food is indeed loved by the community. The pair is therefore opening up their first non-mobile restaurant called
Red Haven this fall.
“I think of a peach as a little more sophisticated,” says Santucci of naming the new restaurant. “And the Red Haven peach was developed at MSU and is known as the most delicious, and now most popular in the world.”
The 2,284 square foot restaurant will be located near the corner of Hagadorn and Mt. Hope in Okemos. The location is perfect, explains Santucci, for the atmosphere they’re trying to create.
“We really wanted to have the farm-to-table feel in the décor,” she says. “The windows look out at a bunch of MSU farm land, so that is kind of a nice little bonus.”
Though the Purple Carrot and Red Haven will both serve food made from seasonal, local ingredients, the menu at the new restaurant will be entirely different from that of the food truck. Red Haven will serve tapas-style food items, as well as locally made alcoholic beverages.
Red Haven is expected to open in mid-September and will employ 15 to 20 workers.
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