25-year Mexican restaurant closing + New food truck inspired by a beloved ‘Nana’

The Tri-Cities’ newest food truck unites more than 30 years of kitchen experience with a cherished family dream of opening a restaurant.

Nana’s Kitchen will open at the Port of Kennewick’s Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village on Columbia Drive once it secures a final approval from the state Department of Labor and Industries.

Nana’s Kitchen is led by owner Christina Schwartz, who has served as chef at Andy’s North, Anthony’s and a host of other Tri-Cities eateries, and her longtime sous chef, Allan Nashion.

Once it is fully authorized, the truck will move to Columbia Gardens, the Port of Kennewick’s urban village near the cable bridge and Duffy’s Pond.

Until then, it is parked at Columbia Food Truck Co. in Pasco, where it was built from scratch to fit Schwartz’s requirements.

Schwartz and her husband Terry, scrimped and saved for years to fulfill her lifelong dream of owning her own restaurant.

It was a dream shared by her late mother, Diana Ramos — the Nana who inspired the name.

Schwartz said she grew up in a home where food was freely shared with guests who became family. If you came in, she said, you got a plate. When you brought the plate back, you got another plate.

“Mom was magic, pure magic,” she said.

Her death last year prompted Schwartz to get serious about her business aspirations. She’d dreamed of a brick and mortar restaurant, but ruled that out as too expensive and inflexible.

A food truck, she concluded, was more economical, gave her complete control over the kitchen and the flexibility to move to different locations and try new things.

Nana’s is a fully-contained commercial kitchen and isn’t required to use a commissary kitchen as a home base. She estimates she and her husband invested more than $83,000 to buy and outfit the kitchen-on-wheels.

“It’s everything we have. It’s our entire life, every nickel and every dime,” she said.

Nana’s will make Columbia Gardens its permanent base, but Schwartz intends to be mobile, to go where the business or the moment demands. That includes fairs, special events and catering gigs.

She plans to donate leftover food to Grace Kitchen, a nonprofit that helps women escape poverty by training them to work in food-service settings.

Nana’s is focused on the breakfast with a menu that includes biscuits and gravy, waffles, egg dishes, a breakfast burrito, phat girl tacos, stuffed potato skins.

There is a Hawaiian tinge too, with Spam on the menu, along with more standard breakfast offerings such as yogurt and muffins.

The menu gives a nod to midday meals with a burger menu that includes the Stoner, served on a glazed donut, the Breeze made with French toast, ham, cheese, sausage and dipped in pancake batter and deep fried.

Schwartz said she chose Columbia Gardens because it is close to her family home in Finley and because the central location between the blue and cable bridges gives her a strong shot at attracting customers powering up for jobs in nearby industrial areas.

Business hours will be 6 a.m.-2 p.m. at 325 W. Columbia Drive, Kennewick.

Follow Nana’s at brand.page/nanaskitchenllc or on Facebook .

Tumbleweeds restaurants

Tumbleweeds Mexican Flair will close its Richland restaurant and is selling its newly opened location in West Richland.

Owner Keith Moon confirmed he plans to exit the business after the listing appeared on BizBuySell.com , a business listing service.

Moon said the move was prompted by news that the West Richland building where he leases space for his 2,500-square-foot restaurant is being put up for sale.

He wasn’t in a position to buy the property, but saw an opportunity to recruit an investor to the business he’s run for some 25 years.

The original Tumbleweeds on Stevens Drive will close by the end of the year.

The West Richland location opened this spring in the former home of The Chicken Shack, 4390 W. Van Giesen St.

The business was listed for $375,000, which included kitchen and other equipment, as well as a certified food truck. A sale is pending but Moon is accepting back-up offers.

He said he would not discuss negotiations with the prospective buyer.

Go to tumbleweedsmexicanflair.com/

Popeyes’ Richland plans

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is preparing to open its third Tri-Cities restaurant.

The newest version will be built at 3160 Duportail St. in Richland, according to a building permit being reviewed by the city of Richland.

Ambrosia QSR Chicken Real Estate LLC, the developer, plans to build a 2,333-square-foot restaurant designed by 2812 Architecture. The project was valued at $1.1 million.

Miami-based Popeyes has restaurants on Highway 395 in Kennewick and on Road 68 in Pasco.

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