New food hall opening in DuPont Building later this year

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 chef-led 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. 

The 10 stalls there offer everything from arepas to shwarma to fried chicken sandwiches.

Developers hope that DE.CO, an abbreviated version of “Delaware Collective" that is pronounced "deck-oh," 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. The exact date of the opening is not yet known, but developers say it will be late 2018.

Rumors have been floating for months about some chefs and companies interested in being a part of the Wilmington food hall.

They have included Philadelphia celebrity chef/restaurateur Jose Garces, a James Beard Award winner who also is an "Iron Chef" on the Food Network; Todd English, a Boston chef, cookbook author and TV personality; and SoDel Concepts, the Sussex County-based restaurant group that runs such eateries as Blue Coast in Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach and Fish On Seafood Bar & Grill in Lewes.

English runs the Todd English Food Hall, a European-inspired specialty food hall at The Plaza in New York City. Garces is supposed to open a Latin American-themed food hall this year in Washington, D.C.

When reached by phone Thursday, Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, said, "We are considering many options in New Castle County." 

Chris Buccini, co-president of The Buccini/Pollin Group, confirmed Thursday that there has been contact with those potential chefs and restaurateurs: "We've had conversations with all of those people."

Buccini said no decisions have been made.

"We are actively looking. We have a lot of people who are very excited to be a part of this. We want Wilmington people there, too. The goal is to have an exciting mix."

Buccini said he likes the idea of having young and aspiring entrepreneurs, such as a food truck chef or someone who wants to develop a new concept. 

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

More:$175M transformation planned for DuPont Building

More:Cozy up to these hearth-warming restaurant fireplaces

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 canceled 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.

“This is our way of trying to stimulate the food culture in downtown Wilmington," Chris Buccini said. "Everyone loves a food hall."

He believes it will become 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. It will be located in the area of the building that overlooks the Nemours building. 

"It's going to completely energize that section," Buccini said. "I think it's going to have a big impact on the city."

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.

However, Buccini said it has "absolutely nothing to do with the Hotel." The Buccini/Pollin Group acquired the Hotel du Pont in January 2017. The company is currently not making any major changes to the Hotel du Pont and its legendary Green Room. 

Buccini said the company wanted to "digest the history of the hotel" and "just understand its DNA" before doing any alterations or adjustments.

He said the food hall is "meant to be an amenity to the Hotel."

The DE.CO food hall 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.

Applications are now being accepted from new restaurateurs or chefs who want to develop a new concept. Chefs can contact Peter DiPrinzio at peter@seawalldevelopment.com.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico