GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — One business owner is seeing her dreams come true and is now in the process of transitioning into a brick-and-mortar space after operating from a food truck and a ghost kitchen for five years.
“I think that this is probably the best location that we could have found,” said Alexis Hefney, Ava’s Cusine and Catering owner.
Hefney is excited to be expanding her business, Ava’s Cuisine and Catering, into a brick-and-mortar location on Cridland Road in Greensboro. It’s where the popular Iron Hen restaurant was located.
Hefney launched Ava’s Cuisine and Catering around five years ago. The business is named after her 5-year-old daughter Ava.
“She’s a great inspiration. So I decided to name the business after her to give her a legacy to live up to,” Hefney said.
She moved to Greensboro from Charlotte to attend UNCG then she stuck around after graduating with a biology degree and taught at Dudley High School.
While there, she decided to pursue her passion for cooking.
“I just decided that I wanted to do something that provided my daughter a better quality of life, which was to step out and be my own boss,” Hefney said.
It started with a food truck and expanded to operate out of The City Kitch, which is a community kitchen in Greensboro.
Since then, it has grown with a staff of 14 people and plans to hire 19 more.
“I would always tell people to … follow their dreams,” Hefney said.
The building on Cridland Road is now being renovated and won’t have dine-in seating.
“I call it K&W style … You can kind of walk in and see the items on the buffet,” Hefney said. “So you just kind of come in and pick exactly what you want and just kind of like grab and to-go.”
She believes the new location will draw foot traffic for some southern food with a twist like collard green eggrolls.
“We see a lot of people walking in the community going to Latham Park,” Hefney said. “We’re expecting to bring in a lot of those people and a lot of people along Wendover that travel and can see the location from the street as well.”
Ava’s Cuisine and Catering will continue to operate from its food truck and The City Kitch and is on track to open its brick-and-mortar location on Cridland Road by the end of August.
