JACKSON, Miss. — Cultivation Food Hall, the state’s first food hall, will open in late Fall in The District at Eastover and recently announced two additional vendors: Gold Coast Bar and il Lupo Coffee. These are just two of the nine food and beverage concepts that will open in the food hall in addition to previously announced vendors: Fete au Fete, Local Honey, Poké Stop, and Whisk.
Gold Coast
Drawing inspiration from the hidden decadence of prohibition nightlife on what was formerly known as the “Gold Coast of Mississippi,” Gold Coast Bar will celebrate what made this hidden hot spot along the Pearl River legendary. Mississippi’s Gold Coast represented the fiery and seismic pull of what was forbidden with an array of bootlegging stations, gambling halls, and temptations of all sorts, drawing patrons from surrounding areas. Gold Coast Bar will channel this spirit into a menu of both classic and original cocktails named for notorious Gold Coast Clubs. A well-curated menu of wines, local beers, and a daily happy hour will also be available.
il Lupo
From local husband and wife team Ana Lampton and Taylor Triplett is il Lupo Coffee. Together, with General Manager Tyler Emerson (formerly of Starkville’s 929 Coffee and Jackson’s Deep South Pops), the il Lupo team brings a fresh and relatable approach to specialty coffee to the Jackson area. With North Carolina’s Counter Culture Coffee as their roaster, il Lupo will serve espresso and milk-based drinks, along with a seasonally rotating selection of drip and pour-over coffees, handcrafted beverages, and loose leaf teas.
On the concept, Triplett noted, “il Lupo, meaning ‘the wolf’ in Italian, derives from the phrase ‘in bocca al lupo’ or ‘good luck.’ With each cup that we offer, we feel there is an unsaid exchange taking place, our own way of telling you in whatever way you need it, ‘good luck.’” Lampton added, “It is important, too, to note that we also chose the name as an homage to Mississippi-born legend Howlin’ Wolf. Our hometown of Jackson is a crossroads after all, and that is exactly what we hope to accomplish with il Lupo, a place where the unique and the familiar can meet and maybe share a story over a cup of coffee.”
Cultivation Food Hall will showcase a carefully curated collection of boutique restaurant concepts. For vendors, the food hall represents the ultimate platform to grow a food brand and build consumer exposure. Far from the food courts of yesteryear, food halls offer a mix of chef-driven concepts in one location where diners can expect a variety of artisanal, often upscale dining options and overall first-rate experience. Food halls are a fierce trend in the U.S. restaurant industry that is turning to a mainstay. Drawing on the tradition of European food halls, the American take on the food hall first appeared in major cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and New York, but more recently have opened in cities across the Southeast such as Birmingham, Charleston, Atlanta, Dallas, and Raleigh.
Cultivation Food Hall is being developed in consultation with St. Roch Market. A pioneer among the food hall craze, St. Roch Market opened in a historic New Orleans building in 2014. Zagat has called St. Roch Market an “absolute must visit” and Travel and Leisure called it “one of the world’s best food halls.” Their formula has worked so well, St. Roch Market has expanded to Miami and a second New Orleans location.
Cultivation Food Hall will be located on the ground floor of the BankPlus Building and will include both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a dedicated event space. Cultivation Food Hall is now accepting reservations for private or corporate events during the holiday season, with both their dedicated event space and main food hall available for events. For catering and event reservations, please contact Eliza Wilson at eliza@cultivationfoodhall.com.
The food hall seeks managers with experience in the food industry. Interested candidates should email their resume to Eliza Wilson at eliza@cultivationfoodhall.com.
Vendor booths are still available in the food hall. Those interested in becoming a vendor at Cultivation Food Hall should visit cultivationfoodhall.com and fill out a vendor application.
For additional updates on Cultivation Food Hall, follow @cultivationjxn on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.