Photo courtesy of Marky's Kitchen
John Cassimus at the newly opened Marky's Kitchen in Cahaba Heights.
Fresh off reestablishing the Zoës Kitchen brand in Crestline, the Cassimus family decided it was time for their patriarch to have a namesake restaurant, too.
That restaurant, called Marky’s Kitchen, is now open in Cahaba Heights and having an official ribbon cutting Wednesday, May 29, at 11 a.m.
Marcus and Zoë Cassimus have been in the restaurant business since 1995. Their entrepreneurial adventures began with the opening of the original Zoë’s Kitchen location in Homewood, and that spirit continued with their son, John, who has founded businesses such as Maki Fresh, Jinsei and Miss Dot’s Kitchen (now Craft’s on Church Street).
“Helping my father open a restaurant with his name on the sign will be one of the highlights of my life,” John Cassimus said in a press release. “I’ve seen what it’s like to see my mom’s name on the steps of the New York Stock Exchange, and now it’s Dad’s turn.”
Marcus Cassimus said there will be plenty of familiar family recipes on the menu at Marky’s Kitchen, plus a smashburger, “which is one of my favorite things to cook.”
The new burger comes with grilled onions, cheese, pickles and “Marky Sauce” and crispy shoestring fries. Other menu items include pita bread sandwiches, roll-ups, kabobs, chicken marinara and sides like hummus, slaw and pasta salad.
“We offer a special [called The Smash Special], which is two smash burgers and fries for $12.99,” John Cassimus said. “We know it's hard to eat out and things are crazy expensive, so we want to be able to offer that [to our customers].”
The family's famous chocolate cake is also on the menu at Marky’s Kitchen.
The restaurant has opened in the former Local Roots restaurant on Cahaba Heights Road.
“We have a great fanbase in Crestline, and we knew we had a beautiful opportunity with a space that was already built out here [in Cahaba Heights] that was ready to go, and we just jumped at the opportunity,” John Cassimus said.
Photo courtesy of Marky's Kitchen
The Smash Special and the chicken kabobs are two popular menu items at Marky's Kitchen
While the location does have a drive-thru, it will be used as a pickup window instead.
“It’s great for customers on the go or those that need to pick up a quick lunch. We make everything fresh, so we ask them to order them at least 15 minutes ahead online, and then they can come to the window to pick it up,” John Cassimus said.
Presently, the Cassimus family is looking forward to building up the business in Cahaba Heights, but they won’t say they’ll never expand the brand.
“I feel like we’ll expand in the Birmingham area when the right opportunity and timing presents itself,” John Cassimus said.
Marky’s Kitchen is at 3134 Cahaba Heights Road and is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Order ahead for pickup at the drive-thru window at markyskitchen.com.
