A Grand Rapids cooking school and culinary retailer is about to be acquired by a franchisee who plans to grow the brand to at least eight locations in the next four years.
The 601 Group, the hospitality company that owns East Lansing’s For Crepe Sake and Grand Rapids-based Brown Butter Creperie, expects to close in early January 2026 on the acquisition of The Local Epicurean, located at 1440 Wealthy St. SE.
The deal comes a year after Mike Mudrey, who co-founded The 601 Group with his wife, Gina Mudrey, opened a franchised Local Epicurean location in their hometown of East Lansing.
“It has a fantastic reputation in Grand Rapids and a loyal customer base, and there’s a lot of customers that drive from the Lansing area to Grand Rapids to take classes,” Mike Mudrey said. “It made sense to try and expand it.”…