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New food hall opening in DuPont Building later this year




http://www.delawareonline.com/story/...ar/1024570001/

A new food hall known as DE.CO will open later this year in downtown Wilmington's DuPont Building at 10th and Orange streets.

The 12,000-square-foot site, which will have eight kitchens and a bar, will be in the same building that houses the Hotel du Pont. The hall will be open daily and will serve weekend brunches. The atrium bar will be open evenings.

The $3.5 million project is a collaboration between Wilmington's The Buccini/Pollin Group and Seawall Development, a company that developed Baltimore’s food hall, R. House.

Developers hope that DE.CO, an abbreviated version of “Delaware Collective," will become a place where chefs can launch new restaurant ideas.

The names of the eight participating chefs have not been released.

Buccini/Pollin said the chef tenants, and their menus, will be announced closer to the project's opening date.

Seawall’s Peter DiPrinzio said Wilmington's location in "heart of the dynamic mid-Atlantic [region] makes it a magnet for culinary talent that will draw locals and visitors alike downtown."

The exact date of the opening is not yet known, but developers say it will be late 2018.

Customers visiting the chef-driven food hall will be able to choose from a selection of cuisines from the mid-Atlantic region and around the world. The chefs will have their own kitchens in the food hall. Diners can visit one stall or order from some of the operations.

Food halls, long popular in Europe, are similar to food courts but feature food made by local, independent chefs instead of chain restaurants.

The sprawling markets have been a hot trend in urban dining due to the success of such concepts like Eataly in New York and other cities.

Over the past few years, U.S. food halls have sprung up in major downtown markets such as Los Angeles, New York, Detroit and Pittsburgh. And more are coming.

According to the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, there are now more than 100 food halls in the U.S. The figure is expected to grow to 200 by 2019.

But some ambitious markets have hit a snag. Food personality/CNN star Anthony Bourdain has cancelled plans for his much-awaited food hall at New York City's Pier 57 due to a number of challenges, including not being able to secure a lease.

Developers Buccini/Pollin see Wilmington as a ripe market for a food hall.

“With DE.CO, we’re debuting a new community in the heart of Wilmington: a collective that will offer guests unparalleled selection and diversity, all in one comfortable, central location.,” said Buccini/Pollin’s Chris Buccini in a prepared statement.

“Wilmington is a thriving, energetic metropolis and this community-driven food hall will be the heartbeat of a young, vibrant city.”

The ground room of the 1908 DuPont building is undergoing a $150 million renovation with the DE.CO food hall as the anchor along with retail shops and artisan boutiques.

The new food hall will feature a modern deco aesthetic that echoes the design of the Hotel du Pont, opened in 1912, but with contemporary features..

It will have tables throughout the space as well as seats at the atrium bar, which will serve cocktails, wine and beer.

A second-level private event space is planned that will overlook the main bar. The space can be used for meetings and gatherings.