KuKri chicken celebrates opening in THE BLOCK

Now that THE BLOCK is open for business, the restaurants inside are also ready for customers.

KuKri Chicken celebrated its opening Sept. 18 with a ribbon cutting.

"This is an amazing company, being part of giving back to the community, as we are doing today with the KuKri sandwich, giving back to our El Ranchito de los Niños and more importantly the diversity that we have here. We just won an award for the diversity that we have here. There are immigrants here making the American dream come true," Michael Marquez-Thompson, director of operations, said.

El Ranchito de los Niños is a nonprofit organization in Los Lunas dedicated to keeping siblings together in foster care.

Basit Gauba, vice president of operations and brand growth, and his wife Kanwal, director of operations, were excited to bring KuKri to Rio Rancho as well.

Basit said the spices for the chicken were brought back with them from their homeland of Pakistan.

"Come on by and give us a taste. You won’t regret it. Pinky swear. We can’t wait to see you," they said.

Mayor Gregg Hull, County Commissioner Katherine Bruch and Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Schalow were there to present plaques to the company as well.

For more information, visit the KuKri website.