L.A.-inspired, organic cafe Parcelle adding a Wayzata location

Even as the restaurant industry navigates a fraught moment, Kamal Mohamed is moving ahead with expansion plans. The chef and restaurateur behind Parcelle confirmed this week that his L.A.-inspired, organic cafe will soon grow beyond its northeast Minneapolis flagship, with two new locations set to open this spring.

Parcelle’s first suburban outpost is headed to the Wayzata lakefront, where it will operate as a small, grab-and-go cafe near the water. The 800-square-foot space is designed for takeout, with easy food to pick up before a lakeside walk or a sit on the patio in warmer months.

Mohamed said the move reflects demand, as many Parcelle regulars already travel in from the suburbs. “It’s rare for a restaurant to be able to grow, especially one that doesn’t serve alcohol, so we’re excited to grow it,” Mohamed said. He’s hoping for a spring opening.

A second Parcelle is coming to downtown Minneapolis’ LaSalle Plaza by late April or early May, joining Mohamed’s growing downtown footprint. Earlier this month, he opened a Tuscan-style sandwich shop, Paper Boy, in the Baker Center.

Mohamed acknowledged that all this expansion comes during a period of uncertainty for restaurants and staff amid heightened fears around immigration enforcement. Kizzo, his northeast Minneapolis dinner-only sports bar, has been most affected by current conditions, prompting conversations about pairing it with daytime or pop-up concepts as the year unfolds.

“It’s becoming more like an R&D space, where we try new concepts, see what works, see what doesn’t work, and then implement that as we want to scale or try new things,” Mohamed said.

Still, he said, his expansion plans could bring a bright spot of good news for restaurants. “To see a local brand growing and expanding is something different to read about,” he said.

Both Denne and Gooding are well-known hospitality insiders. Denne worked at Travail and for Daniel del Prado’s DDP Restaurant Group; Gooding was recently the beverage director at Pau Hana in Savage, but has been working in the industry since his first pizza joint job at 14.

The two say the name Risata means laughter — specifically the resounding, sustained kind that we’re all needing right now. “Risata Cucina will be the place that celebrates the much-needed joy in gathering,” they said in a statement. Expect a March opening.

Follow @RisataCucina on Instagram for more updates.

The Golden Nuts, the Willy Wonka-style chocolate shop with a Middle Eastern twist, is reportedly planning to add locations in Apple Valley and Mall of America this year.

Cousins Ahmad Asmar and Mahmoud Rammouni began their business nearly two years ago with a knack for turning viral sweets into unmissable treats at their first storefront (4801 Central Av. NE., Columbia Heights). With bins of chocolates, candy, Dubai-style chocolates, dozens of varieties of roasted nuts, knafeh and other tempting snack bites, it was an immediate draw for customers from across the metro, especially during Ramadan.

Modern Times Cafe in south Minneapolis is changing its name and its business model, as long as ICE remains in Minneapolis.

Effective immediately, the cafe will operate as Post Modern Times, and will be shifting to a free and donation-based structure “for the remainder of the occupation,” according to a social media post Jan. 26 from owner Dylan Alverson.

Modern Times, at 3200 Chicago Av., is just three blocks from where Renee Good was killed Jan. 7, and six blocks from where George Floyd was murdered in 2020. Alverson said he went to the scene of Good’s killing, and then to the scene where Alex Pretti was fatally shot on Jan. 24, where he says he was tear-gassed.

“We absolutely cannot go on as we have. I am sick of generating money for the soldiers in our streets and for a government that won’t protect us — a government who is actively inflicting daily harm on its citizens,” Alverson wrote.

Alverson said the cafe is refusing to generate tax revenue. Staff have agreed to work as volunteers, and will be paid by donations and shared tips. The menu will be smaller, but the cafe will run its regular hours, daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.