The owner of Tengu Asian Bistro, open since September 2018 at 1343 Central Ave. in Colonie, is developing a new restaurant a mile down the road at 1133 Central, an A-frame building that for 25 years was home to TJ’s Cafe before it closed in July.
The restaurant will be called Hey Chef. The owner, Ruby Liu, said the concept and menu are still being finalized but said it will be an Asian restaurant with a different focus than at Tengu. While a new sign with the Hey Chef name has been installed, an opening is not expected until some time this summer, Liu said. A liquor license is pending, according to the State Liquor Authority database.
The sale, which closed in August, included the restaurant and a multi-unit apartment building behind it. The selling price was $900,000, said Philip Sabatino of Hanna Commercial Real Estate, who represented Liu. His father, Anthony Sabatino, also of Hanna, represented TJ’s owner Todd Leach.
In other news, the new owner of Bliss Cafe in Delmar said she hopes her story of becoming a business owner inspires other immigrants to strive for dreams of success in America.
Shilpi Debuka, who took over Bliss Cafe this spring, three years after its founding, said that when she first moved to the United States in 2006 she was lonely in a one-bedroom Chicago apartment while her husband worked. After they moved to the Capital Region and she obtained a work visa, Debuka found employment with a state agency but began planning with her daughter, now 15, to open a small, cozy cafe where they could offer authentic India chai, coffee, healthy fare and spiritual programming related to Debuka’s work as a meditation facilitator.
Bliss Cafe will host a grand-opening event starting at 10 a.m. Friday, May 12, with business and local officials. Free samples will be offered throughout the day of menu fare including smoothies, bowl, snacks called…
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