Story by James Turner, Staff Writer
Photos by Brock Kirk
Artisan Kitchen, a local restaurant and catering service in Paducah, Kentucky, is opening a new location in Murray’s Olympic Plaza.
Karla Lawrence, chef and co-owner of Artisan Kitchen and Shandies restaurant, said they started talking seriously about opening a second store in Murray in September of last year.
Lawrence said they did a lot of catering to Murray anyway and had many requests to open an Artisan Kitchen there.
The Artisan Kitchen menu has a variety of different eats for both dine in and catering. Their website lists a large variety of salads, sandwiches, pasta and desserts. They also sell a lot of baked goods like cookies and cakes.
Lawrence said you can call and ask to have your meal ready by a certain time and it will be hot and ready for you. They will even take your already-made meal and add their special touch to it.
“We try to be real specialized,” Lawrence said. “This is our craft, this is what we do. We’re more interested in being the artisans and stuff like that more than we are, you know, unfortunately, the business side of things.”
Lawrence said she likes to experiment and try different things.
“I’ve got a hunger for learning about all types of cuisines, so we’re not just stuck on American,” Lawrence said. “Right now, I’m stuck on Thai. I’m learning everything about every type of curry ever made.”
David Jones, owner-operator of Artisan Kitchen and Shandies, said the chefs at Artisan Kitchen likes to adjust to the needs of the customers.
Jones said they are currently conceptualizing deals for Murray State students and faculty.
“We just think there’s going to be a good opportunity there that will meet students’ needs and professors’ needs,” Jones said.
This isn’t a new concept for them, as they’ve always done similar customized orders in Paducah.
“We’ve always been very good about kind of customizing things for people,” Jones said. “So, we like to adjust to the people that are coming into the door to what they need.”
Sara Watkins, a chef, will be their partner for the new Murray restaurant.
Watkins said she’s been working professionally in kitchens since she was 16 years old, and crossed paths with Artisan Kitchen around four years ago. She said they were really great and working for them was a lot of fun.
When Jones approached her about running a new store, it didn’t take her long to decide on running a second store in Murray.
“I kind of jumped at it,” Watkins said. “It’s been my goal, effectively, since I got into this business to have something, to run something that was mine. You know, to be an owner in a place. For me, it was a great opportunity.”
Watkins said she was also working on some new things for the restaurant, like gluten-free or vegan foods. She said they want to do some new and unique things for the Murray market because of the large amount of college students and faculty.
“I think we’ll have some room, definitely, to do some Murray-exclusive menu things,” Watkins said. “I don’t think the idea is to just keep it the same across the board, you know. Murray can be a little different.”
Watkins said she wants her restaurant to be that place for people in town that appeals to everybody.
Artisan Kitchen is projected to open this July.