Fusion expands to Ridgefields location

KINGSPORT — Jaime Joaquin isn't afraid to blend things that might not ordinarily go together.His restaurant, Fusion, was built on the idea of mixing multi-cultural cuisines and bringing people with different experiences and backgrounds together. Now, he looks to do what he does best by bridging one side of the Holston River in Kingsport with the other through his new restaurant in the Ridgefields community."The whole Ridgefields and country club community has been so welcoming to having (the restaurant space) open to the public," Joaquin said. "I think we all feel the same thing. It's so great to see life being brought back to this particular location. Just seeing the foot traffic we get through here has been really amazing."Joaquin owns three Fusion locations in Kingsport: the original restaurant location at 1704 E Stone Drive, the downtown private event and catering venture Fusion at Banq on the corner of Center and Broad streets and the newest restaurant location at 2320 Pendragon Road in the Ridgefields community.The Stone Drive location is currently closed, but will reopen, Joaquin said, as soon as he can find the staff to fully support reopening the original Fusion restaurant in East Kingsport."It's in our best interest to get it open as soon as possible," Joaquin said. "Our focus has always been quality and service. In my 38 years in the industry, I have never seen such difficulty in supply lines and labor. That is what's holding us back. Some people might say, 'Why didn't you plan for both?' Ridgefields was an opportunity that in no way I could have passed up."The restaurant owner said he currently has a three-year lease on the Stone Drive building. He also said he aims to reopen the location within the next couple of months.Meanwhile, the Ridgefields location offers added space and what Joaquin describes as an "gorgeous" expansive kitchen."It's triple the size of the Stone Drive location," Joaquin said. "But mostly, the kitchen is a priority at Ridgefields. It's what I need to get Banq to the level that I expect it to be when it comes to food and beverage and entertainment."So far, Fusion at Ridgefields has been a worthy venture. This week, Joaquin said, Fusion's Singo event (which is a sing-along version of bingo) brought in a trove of guests."It's amazing how one simple event has practically doubled our Tuesday sales," Joaquin said. "To me it shows that Kingsport is ready for entertainment, fun things to do. My goal has always been not just to keep business local, but to attract other people from surrounding areas to come and spend money in Kingsport."The menu at the Ridgefields location is mostly the same, but with a few nightly specials. Joaquin also plans to use the restaurant as a test kitchen for his catering venture.Joaquin is also looking ahead to summer in Ridgefields. He aims to implement extended summer hours and serve guests at the pool throughout the next few months."The restaurant is right next to the pool," Joaquin said. "We will also have food and beverage service by the pool. It's a great community gathering place for families that want to come here during the summer."Mostly, Joaquin said he aims to bring Kingsport together in a location he believes comes with a worthy atmosphere and opportunity for enhanced service."It blew my mind to see how it seemed the river almost divided everybody," Joaquin said. "People say they don't want to drive too far. It's six miles away from the Stone Drive location. My whole goal was to give people so much more for their money. If you come into our dining room here in Ridgefields, you're going to fall in love with it. I think many people have not had the opportunity here because they haven't been open to the public before. That private setting is now open and welcoming for everyone, as it should be."For updates and more information on Fusion, go to https://www.facebook.com/Fusion-Kingsport-111766520587494/.For more information on the Ridgefields Country Club, which, according to the website, is now the Ridgefields Golf and Athletic Club, go to https://ridgefieldsclub.com/.Try the Kingsport Times News app today. Download here from Google Play and the App Store.