Sault Mayor Matthew Shoemaker joined Ojas co-owners and staff for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new downtown restaurant Thursday afternoon.
The eatery — which will serve plant-based South Asian food — is located within the landmark former Muio’s Restaurant location at 685 Queen St. E.
The restaurant is co-owned by Surendra Kumar Bansal and wife Oyunbileg Chuluunbazar, referred to on a first name basis as Kumar and Oyuna.
“It’s great. Everybody knows the location. Hopefully Kumar and his family will make Ojas a new institution in Sault Ste. Marie and we’re always eager to see places set up in our downtown. It checks a lot of the boxes for how we want to see our downtown develop and flourish. Our community welcomes new businesses and newcomers to the city,” Shoemaker said in an interview with SooToday.
“We feel privileged that the mayor came in during his busy schedule. We really appreciate it. I think this is the beauty of this city. Everyone is so supportive and accommodating. That’s something that brought us to this city,” Bansal said.
Bansal is from India, Chuluunbazar is from Mongolia.
The couple moved to Sault Ste. Marie in December 2023.
Their two children are currently attending a boarding school overseas and will soon be joining them in this community.
While Thursday marked the ribbon cutting by Shoemaker, Ojas will open for its official day of business Friday.
Regular hours of operation will be 12-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1-9 p.m. on Saturday. The business will usually be closed Sundays but will be open Sunday, April 27 from 12-9 p.m.
Ojas can seat up to 70 people.
“We are anticipating some good response from people in the community. We want to make sure that everybody who comes in goes out happy. It’s not fast food. It’s a table service restaurant. Everyone who walks in is more than welcome,” Bansal said.
SooToday visited Ojas this week to get a video sneak peek of what diners can expect when the new restaurant opens Friday.
To view the video, click here.
