New Food Hall To Open In Historic South Side Neighborhood

New Food Hall To Open In Historic South Side Neighborhood

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

A new food hall is scheduled to open in the historic Pullman neighborhood in late January. One Eleven Food Hall will house three South Side restaurateurs and will be located in the 111th Street Gateway Retail Center that was developed by Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives.

Majani’s Restaurant, Laine’s Bake Shop, and Exquisite Catering will be the first tenants of One Eleven Food Hall and will offer a variety of food options from breakfast, to bakery goods, to vegan options, to full Italian dinners. The Food Hall, which was designed by Pullman resident and architect Ann Alspaugh, will be managed by hospitality consultant James Gray, also a Pullman Resident, and the development has been supported by Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives.

“We’ve done a lot of development in Pullman. We’ve done industrial development, some larger big-box retail development, we’ve eliminated the food dessert that was once here in Pullman, we’ve done some single family rehabs, and we cut the ribbon on the Community Center but the one thing that seems to be missing in this $300 million dollar community investment is that neighborhood feel and neighborhood retail,” said Ciere Boatright, vice president of Real Estate and Inclusion for Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives.

The One Eleven Food Hall will provide new dining options for residents of Pullman, the many visitors that come to see the historic homes and visit the Pullman National Monument, and the large daytime population made up of workers from the Method Factory and the Whole Foods Distribution Center.

“When we look at what the future has in store with the National Monument that is being developed and the influx of visitors, we are going to need to be able to support these visitors and provide some dining options. It’s not just about the visitors, it is also about the residents that are here and providing some food options for them and the daytime population, said Boatright. “One thing we are really excited about at Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, as it

relates to the Food Hall, is to provide some diverse food options for folks to have and to support the small businesses.”

The One Eleven Food Hall will work as an incubator for up and- coming restaurants and chefs to be able to get their feet wet without taking on the financial burden of opening an independent location. The eatery will be managed by Calibrate Coaching which is led by Founder and CEO, James Gray.

“We really wanted to provide a space for these early stage and independent restaurateurs and chefs to enter into the retail market in a low overhead shared community style operation where they would be able to test their products out, grow some capital, be supportive of each other, and learn from each other and then also Calibrate Coaching will continue to provide business development support for all the vendors in this space to ensure they are successful,” said Gray.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.