New Mediterranean restaurant CAVA located in the Village at Cumberland Park opened to the public earlier this month.

A new Mediterranean restaurant is now open in Tyler.

CAVA, located at The Village in Cumberland Park, opened to the public on April 7. The growing fast-casual chain replaced Zoe’s Kitchen, a Dallas-based franchise that teamed up with CAVA.

CAVA is grounded in the Mediterranean way of life, where food is at the center of culture and connection, according to its website.

The story goes Ike Grigoropoulos, Chef Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ted Xenohristos had known each other since they were 6 years old, according to the website. They were often found goofing off in their Greek church’s Sunday school class before heading to their respective parents’ homes for a big Sunday lunch, typically full of slow-roasted lamb, lemony potatoes, lots of olives, and bowls of tzatziki.

“Food and hospitality was always coursing through their veins, thanks to growing up as sons of first-generation immigrants who all valued making room at the table for all their family and friends,” the website reads. “Later in life, they cared deeply about creating restaurants that paid homage to the Mediterranean traditions they grew up with, where food equals connection, and what’s good for you is also what tastes good too.”

They, along with co-founder Brett Schulman, opened CAVA in 2010, which now has many locations, to share the food they loved in an accessible fast-casual format, according to the website.

“It’s not only about the food, though. CAVA’s inspiration is rooted in the entire Mediterranean meal experience, notably that feeling-so-cared-for genuine expression of hospitality and warmth. Which is why, at CAVA, generosity is our cornerstone,” the website reads.

CAVA is located at 8926 South Broadway Avenue and can be reached at 945-219-5476.

For more information, visit the CAVA Facebook page.