TRAVERSE CITY — Chef Omar Anani will bring Moroccan cuisine to NoBo Riverside from Nov. 22-24. He will serve dinner that weekend as well as breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.
“God gave me a unique gift — to tell stories through food,” Anani said. “My goal is to come and cook and have fun. I want people to be able to experience other cuisines through a different lens.”
The dinner menu will highlight dishes from his Moroccan restaurant Saffron De Twah. This will include a chicken sandwich and a fish sandwich.
For brunch, Anani said, guests can expect something “Moroccan but with a Korean influence.”
“I have an obsession with Korean food,” he said. “We’re doing our takes on a Korean egg drop sandwich. We’re having fun with food.”
Anani grew up in west Michigan. He opened Saffron De Twah in Detroit in 2019. The eatery was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award in the “Best New Restaurant” category. He was a James Beard Award finalist in 2022 and 2023.
Recently, he presented the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America dinner in Detroit.
He is friends with Tony Vu, chef at The Good Bowl. Vu helped design NoBo with a focus on “regional and local food champions and brands.”
Vu added that they plan to host monthly events. Chef Nate Brown, who is based in southeastern Michigan, popped up at the marketplace in September.
“It’s going to be a whole series involving different chefs,” he said. “We’re really excited to be able to keep programming.”
Anani’s full menu will be posted on social media and at nobomrkt.com. To make a reservation for the pop-up chef residency, call NoBo Riverside at 231-633-5493.
NoBo Riverside is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in the Commongrounds Cooperative building.
Previously called NoBo Mrkt, the facility relaunched with the new name, new menu and full bar in September. The facility has a regular menu and to-go options.