A Little Whimsy Goes a Long Way at Acorn Kitchen

Fun and food meet in this TC eatery

Seven months after opening its doors, Acorn Kitchen already feels like the kind of neighborhood spot that’s been part of Traverse City for years. Tucked inside the Atomic Marketplace off Cass Street, the restaurant is equal parts gastropub and culinary playground, serving everything from shawarma to inventive weekly specials that are the brainchild of owner and chef Zachary Anderson.

“I’ve always wanted this,” Anderson says of Acorn Kitchen. “Ever since I was a teenager, when I first started cooking, I had this vision that one day I would have a little kitchen where I could kind of cook whatever I want.”

That creative freedom is exactly what Anderson spent decades working toward, but the journey to opening Acorn Kitchen was anything but linear.

Always Cooking

Anderson was encouraged to cook from an early age by his grandmother from Lebanon and his mother, a first generation American. When he was old enough to start earning money mowing lawns, Anderson spent his earnings on eating out.

“Any money that I would earn, I would go out and buy Chinese food…and candy,” Anderson admits. “I am still spending my money on the same things today.”

A Flint native, Anderson is equally as passionate about words as inventing culinary masterpieces. His initial dream was to be a writer, earning an English degree while cooking his way through college to cover his bills. The idea of cooking as a career took time to form after continued coaxing from mentors.

For two decades, Anderson intentionally moved from restaurant to restaurant (working at more than 25 in that time!), taking in new techniques, cuisines, and even management styles, developing his own food philosophy along the way. It was this itch for lifelong learning that helped him discover that food was where his creativity belonged.

“I don’t love cooking as much as I love dreaming the next thing I want to eat,” Anderson says with an eye-crinkling laugh. “That’s the main part of my job where I can add value.”

Anderson’s life bottomed out a few years ago, when he unexpectedly lost his job, a long-term relationship ended, and plans to invest in his first home fell through. He was then diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. Seeking extra support, Anderson made the move north in 2019 to Traverse City to be with his parents.

Quickly, the storm clouds parted, after additional testing revealed Anderson’s tumor has a high cure rate. With radiation, the tumor disappeared, along with a linked mood disorder that Anderson felt was holding him back.

“After that, my whole life got better,” Anderson says. “I’ve never been this happy in my life.”

That fresh perspective reshaped more than his health; it transformed how he wanted to cook and the kind of restaurant he hoped to create.

After working at several Traverse City-area restaurants, including Fiddleheads in Leelanau County, Anderson knew he needed a place where he could fully express his creativity. That was something he would have to do on his own.

While exploring a few options—including a food truck—Anderson discovered the space at Atomic Marketplace, already home to Seismoto Coffee Bar and Nocturnal Bloom Brewing. Immediately, the fully equipped kitchen, that had never been used, felt like home.

“I came in, I tried the beer, and when I looked at that place, I knew it was mine.”

Kindness in the Kitchen

Acorn Kitchen isn’t built around culinary rules. Anderson describes it simply as “a shawarma shop,” but that hardly captures its personality. Nature inspired nearly every aspect of the concept—including its name.

The acorn represents the white oak, a tree Anderson admires for supporting an entire ecosystem by feeding wildlife both directly and indirectly.

“The white oak will feed the whole forest,” he says. “So, the acorn is its offering. That’s why we are the Acorn Kitchen.”

The intimate dining room, complete with warm wood finishes, greenery, and a tree incorporated into the décor, feels inviting rather than polished or pretentious. The restaurant offers both indoor seating and a spacious outdoor patio shared with the neighboring brewery, creating a relaxed place where guests can linger over food and drinks.

Anderson also wanted to create something he felt was missing from many professional kitchens: kindness.

“I wanted to make a place where everybody is nice to each other,” he says. “Then that would radiate outward to everybody so that we can all interact with the customers and show them we love what we’re doing.”

Curiosity Driven Menu

The menu begins with one simple question: What can’t Anderson find anywhere else?

“When I develop a menu, first I look for what no one else is doing,” he says.

For him, that meant bringing authentic shawarma, a longtime favorite he struggled to find after moving north to Traverse City. It quickly became one of Acorn Kitchen’s signature offerings.

The permanent menu is intentionally small enough to allow room for constant experimentation. Weekly chalkboard specials appear whenever inspiration strikes, whether that’s a globally inspired sandwich, an unexpected burger, or a completely new creation dreamed up by Anderson and his staff.

“I don’t rotate the whole thing,” he says. “But we change stuff all the time. As whimsy will dictate.”

That sense of playfulness has become part of Acorn Kitchen’s identity.

On the menu when we visited—aside from Acorn’s signature shawarma and smashburger—was what Anderson calls “pure nostalgia,” like a peanut butter and fried banana sandwich, topped with marshmallow fluff.

“We’re just little kids playing around with food,” Anderson says. “I hope that people who come here once or twice go once or twice a week and always find something new.”

The menu evolves naturally with the seasons, staff inspiration, and whatever ingredients (often local) spark an idea. Rather than following trends, Anderson cooks the food he genuinely wants to eat and trusts that others will enjoy the journey alongside him.

“Ourself,” he jokes with a laugh. “We’re cooking for ourselves for you.”

For Anderson, that’s ultimately what Acorn Kitchen is all about: sharing creativity, hospitality, and a little whimsy with every plate that leaves the kitchen.

Find Acorn Kitchen at 3344 Cass Rd. in Traverse City.

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