Coming Soon

A Jewish-Moroccan deli and cafe, a South Side bakery, and Cajun-Creole cuisine | Photos by Abigail Grey Johnston

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Susie’s

1600 W. Cary St.

A firm believer that food is a love language, and someone who feels most at ease with an apron tied around her waist, Yael Cantor is ready to invite others into her new restaurant. This month, the 32-year-old will debut Susie’s, a deli and cafe that tells the story of her Jewish and Moroccan heritage.

Though the venture was originally slated for a spot on Main Street, Cantor pivoted to her current location — just around the corner — earlier this year due to various constraints and other issues with the building. “It’s really hard to realize when it’s done because you feel like you’ve given up,” she says.

Cantor, however, isn’t afraid to reassess a situation. For the past five years, she has been developing her dream restaurant from a pandemic pop-up into a vision that feels right, even taking a step away from Susie’s and the industry before finding her way back.

Cantor lived in Israel from ages 11 to 21. Her mother is Moroccan Israeli, and her father is Jewish American and was born and raised in Richmond. The menu at Susie’s is a generational echo of Cantor’s life: Small bites list a trio of dips; smoked whitefish crostini; smashed and fried potatoes with beet yogurt and horseradish; and boquerones (anchovy filets) with peppers, labneh and potato chips. Sandwiches and salads are named for Cantor’s family and friends. The Elana salad brings together arugula, grapefruit, fennel and pistachios, while the Shelley layers lentils and seasonal root veggies with a mix of spring greens.

Sandwiches include the Sharona, an everything-seasoning-breaded schnitzel with hummus, matbuha and pickles on housemade challah, and The Tony, slow-cooked brisket blanketed with Swiss, caramelized onions and horseradish cream. Veg-friendly sandwiches include The Phil, marinated mushrooms with ricotta and schug, fennel and arugula on a toasted roll, and The Ronnie, broccoli rabe with white bean spread and preserved lemon aioli.

Cocktails will be a collection of light spritzes and classics. Cantor plans to offer grab-and-go options like fresh hummus, tabouli and bottles of natural wine. Operating as a counter-service restaurant, Susie’s is going to be open for lunch and dinner, with plans for breakfast in the future.

Inside, the space exudes a subtle retro energy, thanks to curved edges, smooth woods and soft pops of purple accents. The modern-day deli was help brought to life by designer Mariya Boykova. Pictures of Cantor’s family line the walls, along with a painting from her sister. It feels intimate, approachable and just right.

Motivated by bringing people together, and feeling content with the new space, Cantor says, “I love natural lighting, and it feels so fresh and airy. It feels great. I think it’s more of the reason I decided and realized this is what I wanted to do with my life; I love hosting people.”

Janet’s Cafe & Bakery

4701 Forest Hill Ave.

Will Darsie and Janey Gioiosa share a few things in common. Not only are the pair business partners, they’re birthday twins (Libra-Virgo cusp, if you’re curious).

Both also fell into the baking world and earned their chops at the same place: European-inspired MarieBette in Charlottesville. A decade later, they’re teaming up to open a project of their own. In February 2025, they will introduce Janet’s Cafe & Bakery at 4701 Forest Hill Ave., part of a three-story mixed-use development.

A culinary school grad and former line cook, Gioiosa says she has always been drawn to the dough. “I remember just thinking to myself, ‘I don’t mind waking up at 3:30 in the morning going to work,’” she says. “It just kind of felt like, ‘OK, there’s something here.’ I popped in and out of the culinary scene for a bit, and it just kept pulling me back in.”

From the bread basement at MarieBette to wood-fired Little Hat bakery in Nelson County and pop-ups at farmers markets with her own baking venture, Janey’s Bread, Gioiosa has been learning and leaning into her craft.

Darsie found bakeries by accident. He hails from California wine country, where his mother was a chef and his father was a farmer. After moving to Virginia post-college for a change of scenery, he landed at MarieBette. “I got a busboy job there and didn’t plan on staying long,” he says. Six years later, he opened offshoot Petite MarieBette as a co-owner.

Each looking to level up, they describe the persona of Janet’s as a modern diner, a flexible space with checkered floors, big benches and bright windows. “We wanted the space to feel like it’s been there for a while,” Darsie says.

Janet’s will be open for breakfast and lunch, offering a mix of baked goods and pastries, sandwiches and salads. To explain the name, Darsie says, “Every time I text her, it autocorrects to Janet.”

Bon Temps

8002 Buford Court

“I’m originally from Trinidad and Tobago but spent a little bit of my life everywhere,” Randy Boodram says.

Born in the Caribbean, raised in Brooklyn, New York, and calling Virginia home for the past decade, Boodram has developed a culinary repertoire as diverse as his upbringing.

Cooking since he was a teenager, he says he would leave school and eat his way through bodegas and city farmer’s markets. His first foray into the kitchen was to make Cantonese food, which is popular in the Caribbean.

In 2018, he hit the road with La Bete, a Caribbean-Creole mobile venture that became known for its brown stew oxtail served with port wine gravy and red beans, jerk chicken, buttery lump blue crab rolls served on brioche, and Gulf shrimp and grits with blue crab gravy and Anson Mill grits.

“After the second food truck [when] we saw the growth, a restaurant was always the next move,” Boodram says.

In December, the chef and owner will plant roots with a 60-seat casual Creole bistro in Bon Air. While established favorites will remain on the menu, Boodram says he’s excited about having a kitchen that isn’t on wheels, introducing a cocktail program and creating a casual atmosphere.

“The restaurant will be notches above what we do on the food truck,” he says. “We’re trying to get back to cooking great food, comfort fare and filling a void in Bon Air and the greater Richmond area with Creole food.”

On Deck

More forthcoming restaurant openings