Chef Vatche Moukhtarian recently expanded into coffee, and now has brunch hours at the Cracked Pepper Bistro Photo composite by Cecilia Lopez

Popular Fresno restaurant Cracked Pepper Bistro is expanding its menu to feature a breakfast café model built around specialty coffee from local roasters and a new, brunch-centered menu.

Chef Vatche Moukhtarian, Cracked Pepper Bistro and Sanctuary Coffee owner, said the venture was driven by coffee. He said the expansion is “a natural extension of my culinary background,” adding that his approach to coffee and food mirror each other.

He said the connection is more than just a culinary one — it’s one that connects back to his childhood.

“I approach coffee the same way I approach food: sourcing the best ingredients and applying precision to the craft,” he said. “Growing up with Armenian and Lebanese heritage, some of my earliest memories are of the aroma of coffee in my mom’s kitchen in Lebanon — and the smell of roasting beans from the coffee roaster just down the street from our home.”

Moukhtarian said the breakfast concept has been in development for about six months.

The menu focuses on composed brunch dishes, with artisan and upscale offerings like pork belly burritos with over-medium eggs, Croque Madame with ham, cheese, mornay sauce and a fried egg and house-made sausages.

The café will also offer a full lineup of classic espresso drinks, featuring Sanctuary Roasting Co. coffee.

Moukhtarian founded Sanctuary Roasting Co. last year with a focus on using specialty-grade beans and American-made equipment from the company Primo.

“Keeping it local allows us to control the entire experience — from green bean selection to the cup served to our guests — and ensures we’re investing back into our own community,” Moukhtarian said.

Guests have long requested daytime service, Moukhtarian said. Traditionally, Cracked Pepper Bistro has been open for dinner hours Tuesday through Saturday; extended hours will see the restaurant operate breakfast and brunch hours from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Moukhtarian said the move reflects the same standard he has defined over the last two decades in Fresno.

“I’ve been a classically trained chef for 24 years, opened Cracked Pepper Bistro 19 years ago, and won Guy’s Grocery Games on Food Network,” he said, adding that the expansion “reflects the same commitment to quality we’ve always had — just applied to a new daypart and to a craft I’m truly passionate about.”