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A new venture that combines pickle balls and sushi with views of the Arkansas River is coming to Jenks.
Officials announced this week that In a Pickle, billed as the state’s largest pickleball entertainment center, will be built on the 11-acre site as part of Jenks’ planned River District.
located east of the upcoming river Tulsa Premium Outlets, the complex will include a new In the Raw sushi restaurant, a sports bar, an outdoor bar and other amenities. It is expected to open in late 2024.
“We’re going full steam ahead and really excited about this,” said co-owner Angelo Cuzalina. “We think it’s going to be an agglomeration type of area south of Jenks and Tulsa.”
The complex will initially have 13 pickleball courts, four outdoor and nine indoor, with plans to eventually add eight more indoor courts, he said.
Cuzalina and his wife Paige are working with Ashley and Greg Hughes on the project.
Greg Hughes is the founder of In the Raw, which currently has four locations in the Tulsa area.
The Cuzalinas teamed up with the Hugheses on In the Raw Vu, located on the sixth floor of the Vast Bank building in downtown Tulsa.
The new restaurant will be named In the Raw River. It will be located on the second floor of the complex, featuring an outdoor deck with river views.
The sports bar will be on the lower level.
Tulsa firm Lilly Architects, which has worked on other Jenks projects, was the project architect.
Cuzalina said the location on the river was ideal for the project, especially if a low-water dam were to be built.
“Once it’s done, there’s going to be a lot of potential, including a boat dock,” he said.
In the middle of the complex will be an open space with an entertainment stage and an outdoor bar.
“It will be a great place for people to relax outside and bring their dogs,” Cuzalina said.
Cuzalina said he and his wife became good friends with the Hughes family through a game of pickleball.
As a paddling sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, its popularity has skyrocketed. In fact, the Sports and Fitness Industry Association estimates that pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in the US over the past three years, with more than 4.8 million players.
“It’s easy, it’s fun, and you get a lot of exercise out of it,” Cuzalina said. “It’s for people of all ages. I think the fastest growing demographic for pickleball is retirement communities.”
The complex will include a main court for games, he said.
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