Marlon “Chicken” Chukumerije, owner of the popular Gretna soul food restaurant Chicken’s Kitchen, was on the verge of making a move across the river to downtown New Orleans when he abruptly reversed course.
Just hours before he planned to sign the lease at a small strip mall at 1029 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., a man Chukumerije had worked with on another potential real estate deal reached out. He had a friend with a large restaurant space that he was trying to get rid of — a spot just two miles away from the original Chicken’s Kitchen location.
Chukumerije toured the spot at 921 Peters Rd. in Harvey on Feb. 24 and announced less than a week later that he bought the property and would be closing both the original Gretna location and his second Gretna spot, The Coop, at 1030 Derbigny St…