Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Will offer food to go, new items, bakery
Lessees Susana and Alex Serfes inside the former Imperial Chinese Cuisine.
COLFAX - A new eating establishment is coming to Colfax.
"Serfes Foods" is taking shape in the former Imperial Chinese Cuisine & Lounge on Main Street.
It's a project for Susana Serfes, husband Alex and her children Chris, Carolyn and Daniel, to start a to-go food operation to open in May and continue to a bistro restaurant format later this summer.
"We do catering already," Susan said. "In the future, we may add a bakery."
The project came about from a few sources.
"We cook. We love food. We have a passion for food. It came as a dream," she said. "We walk by faith ... We looked at options and the Imperial Chinese restaurant ended up being the place."
Restoration work began in March. Old electric boxes are being replaced soon and the lights got turned on April 20.
Susana's background is 12 years in professional cooking. Her son Chris will be the chef of the new venture, daughter Carolyn the baker and cook.
Work on the inside of the long-closed restaurant will include flooring, re-doing walls, fixing holes in the ceilings, deep-cleaning the kitchen and more.
The Serfes have lived in Colfax for three and a half years are committing to stay longer when they signed an agreement to lease the commercial space.
Susana grew up in Chile, later coming back to California where she was born.
Food at the restaurant will vary.
"Things you don't see here in town. You'll get a chef salad here in town. This is different from that Cobb salad," Susana said.
She talked about offering wine and local beer, and locally-sourced ingredients.
"We're still working on that," Susana said. "Our intention is to do a lot of farm-to-table... I don't want it expensive. I want it comparable to other places in town, just elevated a little bit."
She describes it as a bistro.
"Not a gastropub, not a café ... (Something) made from scratch, good food, a mixture of everything and some fusion as well – even a Chilean dish," said Susana.
She originally came to the Palouse after the company she worked for, running the food operation of a UCLA sorority, asked her to transfer to one at WSU.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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