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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> on Facebook on Thursday. A timeline for the closures is unclear.<\/p>\n 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 <\/a>in June of last year. When that idea proved unworkable, it closed as a retail facility in December<\/a>, 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 9-year-old Troy location was put up for sale last week<\/a> as a fully equipped restaurant for $30,000 for the business only; the real estate, at 172 River St., is not included.<\/p>\n Also last year, Tara Kitchen closed its seasonal restaurant in Wildwood, New Jersey, after four years because, Waheed said at the time<\/a>, the family’s priorities about where to spend their summers had changed. The company’s location in Waheed’s native city of Hyderabad, India, was founded in late 2023 and remains in business. Its 2017 plans to open a hammam<\/a>, a traditional Middle Eastern bath and spa, in Schenectady never came to fruition.<\/p>\n The couple opened a store in Schenectady in 2008 to sell Indian and Moroccan clothing, jewelry and home accessories. As devotees of the culture of Morocco, where they had their wedding, Waheed and Shoaib began making Moroccan food to sell at farmers markets. Its popularity led to the opening of the original Tara Kitchen, at 431 Liberty St. in Schenectady, in 2012. It serves from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday.<\/p>\n Waheed did not reply to messages left Friday morning and last week.<\/p>\n Her closure announcement said she is working on a new restaurant concept in an unspecified\u00a0location, a travel business that has a Morocco trip<\/a> scheduled for late this year and “government and community\u00a0work,” also unspecified.<\/p>\n Subscribe<\/p>\n There’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25\u00a2.<\/a><\/p>\n