Karen Wilson, owner of Crave Cafe & Bakery
Warehouse Row will welcome a new addition to its Mercantile when Crave Café & Bakery opens early next year. The café is the first bricks-and-mortar location for executive chef Karen Wilson, whose Crave Catering has been serving up gluten-free creations since 2010.
Crave Café, which will serve breakfast and lunch, will be the first exclusively gluten free restaurant in Chattanooga.
“Crave Café gives options to people who can’t eat gluten, or simply choose not to,” said Ms. Wilson. “We are filling an unmet need for delicious, healthy alternatives to high-carb, gluten-laden foods in Chattanooga.”
Construction on the 700 square-foot space in Warehouse Row’s lower level Mercantile will begin in November, with plans to open in early January 2013. The café’s approachable menu will focus on soups, salads, sandwiches and other lunch selections, while offering a variety of signature pastries and desserts as specialties. Ms. Wilson will also operate her catering business from the Warehouse Row location. Catering options range from boxed lunches to fully catered formal affairs. Crave Café’s winter hours will be from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
“Warehouse Row is home to an eclectic mix of the region’s best independent retailers and restaurant owners,” said Kelly Scott, leasing manager for Jamestown Properties, the company that owns Warehouse Row. “We are excited to add the city’s first gluten free restaurant to our eateries and delighted they will be serving breakfast to the many shoppers and downtown workers who already enjoy lunch in the Mercantile.”