Cha is more than a pizzeria. The cozy eatery, now located on the grounds of the Tinnerman Lofts apartment complex, is set to open in its new space in early January, to kick off the new year.
At Cha, like at its previous two locations, expect a robust wine list and thin crust pizza, served either on a classic cheese or bianco base, along with a menu of small plates and seasonal entrees, says owner Susan Walters. The menu reflects Walters’ past work, both at Cha and at her first restaurant KeKA Spanish.
“It’ll be mostly small plates and seasonal, and local, regional stuff,” Walters says. “I think it's going to be that kind of a combination of everything I’ve done over the course of my life and in the business.”
(Photo by Annie Nickoloff)
Cha first opened in Cleveland’s Battery Park development in 2014 for a few years and, later, in Ohio City for a year, until closing in October 2019. During the pandemic, Walters shifted gears away from restaurant ownership and headed into home cooking and consultant work.
At that point, Walters says she was convinced she’d never open another restaurant.
But then, a tour of the century-old home (a former VFW outpost) at 2054 Fulton Road changed her mind. The building, under renovation by Dalad Group — the same owner and renovator of neighboring Tinnerman Lofts — drew Walters’ eye immediately.
“I came and looked at the building, and I was like, ‘God, I’m gonna open another restaurant,’” Walters says. “Then I met the owners and I just fell in love with them. We just think alike. We’re the same foodie people, we have a lot of mutual friends. We both love art, we love music, so it just somehow came together.”
One can just glance at the "before" photo of the building to understand how much work went into 2054 Fulton over the past few years. Dark, stained siding and busted interior elements, along with a new sprinkler system and outdated railings were just some of the projects the Dalad Group had to confront in the project.
(Photo courtesy Susan Walters)
The long renovation process was made even longer due to supply chain shortages during the pandemic. But Walters and Dalad Group stayed true to their shared appreciation of local history, which is also on display at Tinnerman Lofts. The apartment building opened last year, showcasing many of its original architectural and design elements in each apartment unit and within common spaces.
The same was done at Cha’s home, which had been empty and abandoned for years, says Walters. Walters teamed up with Dalad Group to reconfigure the home and patio spaces into a restaurant. It even includes a private patio party area and outdoor restrooms. Inside, archways, molding and the building’s stairway were preserved.
“The whole historical part of being able to renovate this building, after years and years and years of walking by it, was just a cool thing,” Walters says. “It’s just really great to be a part of it.”
(Photo by Annie Nickoloff)
In total, Cha can seat 80 customers inside and 80 outside at a time, but it’ll rotate its space and keep certain areas closed based on the season.
This marks the third time Cha — named after Walters’ longtime kitchen nickname “Chacha” — has opened in a new space. But Walters says she wouldn’t pick any other concept to pursue right now.
“A lot of people have said, ‘Why not do something different? Why Cha?’” Walters says. “I just never felt like Cha was broken. I think the concept has always been solid. We’re loved by a lot of people.”
Walters hopes for Cha to stick around a while, serving both Tinnerman Lofts’ customer base and also the surrounding Ohio City neighborhood. Another long-term goal is to make the business employee-owned.
But mostly, Walters says that with this restaurant, she aims to create a community.
“I want it to be a happening location, where you can do not only food but we can do community stuff,” Walters says. “We could do music and we could do art. It could just be a cool neighborhood place to hang out.”
Find more details about Cha at chapizza.com.
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