Farina Marihart is expanding breakfast and lunch service at Yoked Kitchen, marking Clovis' 13th prime steakhouse location. Photo by Ben Hensley
Author: Ben Hensley
Yolked Kitchen, a new restaurant from the owners of 13 Prime, had a soft opening for friends and family over the weekend, offering a unique dining experience for those wanting to grab breakfast or lunch.
Located in the Parkway Trails Shopping Center at the intersection of Willow and Neath Streets in Clovis, the owners have set up two eateries right next to each other that cover all three meals a day.
Farina Marihart, owner and chief financial officer of Yoked Kitchen, said the idea for the breakfast and lunch restaurant has been in the works for several years.
Marihart, who also co-owns the nearby 13 Prime Steakhouse, said the idea for the breakfast and lunch restaurant came from 13 Prime head chef Tommy Chavez, who previously ran a restaurant in Visalia, also called Yoked, which closed after taking over at 13 Prime.
Since then, Chavez and Marihart, along with her husband, John, have discussed the idea of a restaurant that would focus solely on breakfast and lunch, as well as drinks and cocktails to accompany the meals.
“We've always wanted to do a restaurant that has the feel of 13 Prime but serves breakfast and lunch,” she said.
After the pandemic closed Mister Sushi 2, Marihart saw an opportunity to seize the opportunity, and after several years of development, extensive renovations, creating a new (and ever-evolving) menu, redeploying staff from 13 Prime, and hiring new employees, Yoked Kitchen opened over the weekend.
Marihart said he did not want to call the restaurant a “brunch” restaurant, explaining that the name would limit the menu options.
“When people think of brunch, they think, 'Oh, only on Sundays,'” she says. “We're open six days a week and we do breakfast and lunch, but we don't market ourselves as a brunch restaurant.”
Yoked Kitchen has partnered with Modesto's Clayton Coffee & Tea to supply the restaurant with its coffee products. It will also offer espresso and cocktails, and Marihart stressed that the cocktails created for the restaurant will be “light” in contrast to those served at 13 Prime.
Marihart said Chavez, who will continue to serve as chef at 13 Prime Steakhouse in addition to Yoked Kitchen, will serve everything from American to Spanish, Mexican and Asian cuisine, and of course the traditional steak and eggs, although Yoked will also offer steak filets along with the steak and eggs.
Marihart and the team at Yoked Kitchen hope that guests will be “a representation of the team's commitment to culinary exploration.”
“Yorked Kitchen is more than just a restaurant; it's a celebration of friendship, culinary artistry, and the joy of creating unforgettable dining experiences,” a press release from Yoked Kitchen reads.
Yolked Kitchen is located at 1305 N. Willow Ave. in Clovis and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
