New restaurant replaces Ming Kee bar
La Morenita: the new kid on the block
The Ming Kee Sports Bar building on the corner of 85 St and 118 Ave is being given new life! La Morenita, a new restaurant, is opening its first location on the main floor of the building. While the Alberta Avenue Business Association has already moved its office to the second floor. La Morenita is hoping to open its doors in the month of June.
“I was already looking for something in the Avenue for the past maybe two years,” says restaurant owner Angelica Cruz. “It’s very prominent for a lot of the Latino community and I see a lot of communities actually gathering here. That’s what’s important to me as a business owner and as a family. That communities have a place to actually gather.”
While this is Cruz’s first personal restaurant, she has helped open and run 20 locations for a Chinese restaurant. She is also a Californian Academic Graduate and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu program. Additionally, she has studied Mexican cuisine for three months.
When asked what inspired her to open a Mexican restaurant, Cruz says, “Other than me being Mexican and it’s my culture, I do want to share that with the community.” She plans on using her previous teaching experience to create cooking classes. “My goal is to incorporate all of my knowledge and my culture and be able to have stations where I can have people come in that want to learn how to cook and can kind of do their meal prep here in a Mexican environment.”
Another inspiration for Cruz is the ability to hire her son, help him have a business of his own, and create jobs for other people who are on the autism spectrum: “I think this will be a great opportunity to be able to be a safe haven for a lot of moms as well that have kids in the spectrum. And for us to be able to hire them as well.”
Yonas Gebregzabher and his two partners are the new owners of the previous Ming Kee building. Business partners and friends, they have been living in the city of Edmonton for years and were looking to invest in a property on the Avenue. The partners have been working with Angelica Cruz and the Business Association to help provide the best outcome for everyone and make the space work for what they need.
Gebregzabher believes businesses like La Morenita will help improve the stigma around 118 Avenue. “There’s going to be more changes. Like more quality businesses come in, more quality people coming,” he says. Gebregzabher also speaks about how the Avenue is becoming safer to exist and walk in at night, “So that's a good thing for the neighbourhood, for the area, for the whole community.”
The Alberta Avenue Business Association is moving onto the second floor of the building. The new office space has grey-toned wood floors and large windows. Executive Director of the Alberta Business Association Erick Estrada says that this spot is ideal for helping continue to work with the community. “We also saw the opportunity to give a new face to what this building has represented to community for so many years,” Estrada says. The building and Ming Kee Sports Bar had become known for health and crime issues.
As for La Morenita, the cooking classes will be offered once a month in the beginning and, if they become popular, Cruz will expand them to every two weeks.
La Morenita will offer food options including brunch with a twist: like eggs benedict, but instead of an English Muffin it will be a sope (a thick tortilla with an indentation to put toppings on) and will have a chipotle Hollandaise sauce rather than the traditional sauce.
Cruz says, “We're excited for the community to come in, check out the awesome food pastries and try Mexican food with a twist — but still very original — and be able to bring their kids and just hang out. It would be amazing.”
Can't wait to try the food and enjoy yet another awesome restaurant on the Avenue!!
Excellent article. It makes me very excited about checking out the restaurant.