THE RISE OF ‘RUCKUS’: New Canton taco spot delivers sneak peek
Invite-only guests of Ruckus Taco Co. and Sweet Bites owners Jeremy and Kara Kalmus enjoy the new eatery’s cool vibe Tuesday afternoon.
The eerie silence that has dominated the business space at 43315 Joy Road in Canton for several months — with the periodic exception of buzzing power tools — was replaced with a Ruckus-level buzz Tuesday afternoon.
The husband-and-wife team of Jeremy and Kara Kalmus — owners of Ruckus Taco Co. and Sweet Bites — hosted a four-hour gathering of family and friends for an appetizer of sorts for their mouth-watering food ventures that are scheduled to open to the public on Friday, Aug. 11.
Surrounded by hip decorations, pinball machines and the aroma of amazing food, special guests shared smiles and upbeat conversation in between bites of their Ruckus Taco and Sweet Bites meals.
Taco heaven
News of Ruckus opening at the site of the former Olympus Coney Island in the Coventry Commons business complex, just southeast of the intersection of Joy and Morton-Taylor roads, triggered an endorphin rush for fans of traditional chef-driven street tacos that people have come to know and love through Kalmus’s food-cart business.
A former executive chef at multiple high-end metro-Detroit restaurants, Jeremy Kalmus decided to pursue the “American Dream” eight years ago.
With $3,000 to work with, he launched the Ruckus Taco Co., a food-cart business he transported to any event that was attended by people who love delicious, chef-driven street tacos (and much more).
Hard work pays off
Fueled by hustle, amazing food and savvy promotion (in addition to the food truck, Kalmus sells his food out of a vintage Airstream trailer inside Corktown’s Detroit Axe), the company grew into a much-in-demand catering and food truck business.
The Kalmuses worked diligently — and patiently while awaiting a series of inspections to happen — the past several months in anticipation of this week’s life-altering festivities.
“We are very excited, to say the least,” Kalmus told SocialHouseNews in June.
“It’s been a dream of mine for a long time to own my own brick-and-mortar restaurant, so when the space in Canton became available, we went for it.”
The Kalmus family lives in Plymouth, just a short drive from their business.
The property has been transformed from a drab, vanilla-like setting to a mood-lifting wonderland, spiced up by amazing wall art and a neon sign that reads: “Feed Me Tacos and Tell Me I’m Pretty”.
While the atmosphere is electric, it’s the food that will serve as a magnet for customers once the public is invited in on Friday.
And judging by the edible joy Ruckus created during its brief opening Tuesday, repeat visits will become the norm, not the exception.
Ruckus’s robust menu has something for everybody, with protein choices of Adobo Grilled Chicken, Seasoned Ground Beef, Chorizo, Beef Barbacoa, Chili Lime Cauliflower (vegan) and Carne Asada.
If you love good food, prepare for a indescribable endorphin rush once you walk through the welcoming front entrance of the reinvigorated business space.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
