Peruvian restaurant set to move from Allen Neighborhood Center to Jolly Road location
MERIDIAN TWP. — Tantay, mid-Michigan's only Peruvian eatery, is poised to open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Okemos.
Owner Jose Aste has been working toward opening his own spot for four years, since he began operating out of the Allen Neighborhood Center in 2019. Now he's planning to open in a leased 1,500-square-foot storefront at 2398 Jolly Road in December or January.
"There's no Peruvian cuisine here," he said. "There's a void in the market and Peruvian food, putting it on the map where it doesn't exist is very, very valuable and important to me, but at the same time, I'm using it as a vehicle so that I can bring people together."
It's "a dream come true" for Aste who's been building a loyal following for his Peruvian dishes through the shared kitchen at the Allen Neighborhood Center's Accelerator Kitchen in the 1600 block of East Kalamazoo Street in Lansing.
Aste said he's been looking for the right space since last year, adding the plaza off Jolly Road is exactly what Tantay needs.
"It was basically almost turn-key, in a highly visible spot, with parking in the front and the back," Aste said. "It was a no-brainer."
Aste decided to lease the Okemos space, previously home to Woody's Oasis, over the summer. The dining room will have seating for about 30 people.
"We've been making it our own little by little," he said. "We're going to be branding it inside, putting the colors that we want and then we're putting a new hood system inside, redoing the kitchen a little bit."
'To come together'
In Peru, where Aste was born, the word "tantay" means "to come together."
Aste, who lives in East Lansing with his wife, Melissa, and their two children, ages 8 and 10, serves up dishes at Tantay that include potatoes topped with a zesty Peruvian huancaina sauce, ceviche, chicken stir fry with onions, peppers and Peruvian seasoning, and Aji de Gallina, a chicken stew in a creamy Peruvian sauce.
At the new restaurant, the menu will include those items, along with dishes Tantay serves on its food truck, which has been in operation in the Lansing area since last year.
The truck has been successful, Aste said, and will continue to operate after the new eatery opens.
"That truck really allowed us to go out there and make sure that we're connecting with a variety of potential clients and consumers," he said.
Keeping it simple
When Tantay opens in Okemos, Aste plans to use locally sourced ingredients from producers, including Highwater Farms in Lansing and Ten Hens Farm in Bath Township.
Aste's staff is expected to grow from three, including himself. New employees start with the business at $15 an hour, he said, "which makes things tougher because you're paying higher wages, but, at the same time, we're trying to get quality products."
The focus, when the new site opens, will be on keeping things simple, he said.
"One of the reasons why I started this business is because I genuinely just love people, and am interested in people," Aste said.
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @GrecoatLSJ .
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This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Peruvian eatery Tantay to relocate to Okemos from Allen Neighborhood Center
