Kyrgyzstan ambassador attends restaurant opening in Rolling Meadows
Two top officials from the nation of Kyrgyzstan visited Rolling Meadows Thursday to cut the ribbon on a new Central Asian restaurant.
Baktybek Amanbaev, ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to the United States and Canada, and Bolotbek Borbiev, the Kyrgyzstan Consul General in Chicago, joined Rolling Meadows Mayor Lara Sanoica at the grand opening of Jannat Restaurant.
The eatery, inside a longtime former Taco Bell at 2997 Kirchoff Road, serves the growing Kyrgyz community in the Northwest suburbs.
Chicago is perhaps the most popular destination for Kyrgyz immigrants; nearly 10,000 ethnic Kyrgyz are believed to live here, including 2,000 children born domestically, according to Kyrgyzstan's foreign ministry. The Kyrgyz Community Center is in nearby Arlington Heights.
Featuring Central Asian and Turkish cuisine, Jannat employs four chefs native to the area - two from Kyrgyzstan and two from Turkey.
The restaurant is owned by Mirlanbek Nurmatov and managed by Kanatbek Satinbaev, who grew up together as cousins in Kyrgyzstan before immigrating to the United States in the last decade. Jannat is Nurmatov's sixth business; he also owns Arzan Café, at 4702 N. Kimball Ave. in Chicago's Albany Park.