The Schenectady-based Tara Kitchen, which once had six restaurants, is closing its Troy and Guilderland locations to concentrate on growing its Manhattan eatery after the owners moved to New York City for their teenage daughters to attend school.
Aneesa Waheed, who founded the brand with her husband, Muntasim Shoaib, by selling their Moroccan food at farmers markets, announced the news as part of a family update on Facebook on Thursday. A timeline for the closures is unclear.
Tara Kitchen opened its location on Western Avenue in Guilderland in November 2020. Declining business led to the reimagining of the space, in a former Paesan’s pizzeria, as a Mediterranean market, takeout and catering hub in June of last year. When that idea proved unworkable, it closed as a retail facility in December, continuing as a catering kitchen while Waheed and Shoaib tried to sell the property. The building, at 1785 Western Ave., remains on the market for $585,000…