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Maki Fresh opened this week in Huntsville. (Courtesy)

Two former executives with Zoe's Kitchen are bringing a new-to-market food concept to north Alabama this week.

Maki Fresh Casual Asian Dining opened Tuesday at The Shops at Merchants Walk, a Whole Foods-anchored development at the corner of Bob Wallace Avenue and Memorial Parkway in Huntsville. The eatery is the second to open at Merchants Walk since Farm Burger debuted early this year.

The 8-year-old restaurant was started by former Zoe's Kitchen CEO John Cassimus and Tyre Stuckey, a former Zoe's vice president of operations. The expansion in Huntsville marks Maki Fresh's fifth location, four of which are in Alabama and another in Atlanta.

"We are thrilled to be in Huntsville and offer northeast Alabama our fun and fresh menu items our guests have come to love," Stuckley said.

The Huntsville store, open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., spans 2,500 square feet, has a covered patio and open kitchen, and allows dine-in customers to place orders at a counter and return to pick up their food when it is ready. Servers are available to fill drinks and handle to-go orders.

Cassimus sold his majority interest in Zoe's in 2007 and later stepped down as its CEO. Stuckey, who played a key role in the growth of the company, was with Zoe's from 2004 to 2014.

The entrepreneurs also own Southern fast-casual restaurant Miss Dots, which has locations in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, and Jinsei Sushi, a Japanese restaurant in Birmingham and Oxford, Miss.

In other news

Athletic retailer lululemon athletica is launching its first north Alabama flagship store at Merchants Walk in November next to future tenant Local Taco, which opens next month. The project should be fully-leased by November.

Merchants Walk will welcome five other businesses this year, including: