After more than a year of construction, the Packing District food hall will open this spring with 11 vendors, a central bar, craft brewery and event space.

“We don’t have a hard date because, like any construction project, there are things that change and move,” said Ken Robinson, Dr. Phillips Charities president and CEO. The organization is targeting May for the opening and are planning a three-day event to welcome the community.

The 22,400-square-foot food hall is being built in a warehouse from 1930 where the Dr. Phillips company made wooden crates to pack its fruit, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. One of the only historic buildings in the Packing District to be saved and repurposed, it’s billed as the crown jewel of the 202-acre mixed-use district just west of Orlando’s College Park neighborhood.

Chef Akhtar Nawab and his group, Hospitality HQ will operate the 13,140-square-foot Great Southern Box Food Hall at 2105 N. Orange Blossom Trail and will be announcing vendors over the next two months.

Orange County Brewers has already been announced as the microbrewery anchor and will take 3,000 square feet on one end of the building. The craft brewery will create a signature citrus-themed beer specifically for the venue.

The Great Southern Box Company Food Hall will represent a diverse offering of food with a focus on immigrant cuisine. Hospitality HQ will provide comprehensive support including menu engineering, marketing, and accounting to the local chefs and their businesses.

“We have been working with Dr. Phillips to curate a diverse and exciting group of local chefs and small business owners who are looking for an opportunity to bring their passion and delicious cuisine to The Great Southern Box Food Company Food Hall,” Nawab said.

The first three food vendors confirmed are:

• A Lo Cubano Kitchen – Many locals know this renowned food truck for its fusion of authentic and modern Cuban street food.
• Kayos Jamaican Grill: Capturing the essence of Jamaican culture with locally sourced ingredients, Kayos provides traditional dishes like jerk chicken and oxtails.
• Pokefin – With locations in Cocoa and Satellite Beach, Pokefin’s menu specializes in Hawaiian-style poke bowls, Boba tea and kombucha. Poke Fin only serves sushi-grade seafood and creates sauces daily.

Dr. Phillips selected dap design early in the planning process because of its expertise in adaptive reuse. The firm came up with the plan to create a welcoming entrance and outdoor plaza by building a gradual slope rising three feet from the parking garage to the front door, which originally was loading dock height.

The plaza has shade pavilions and oak trees. It’s designed so a portable stage can be parked right on the end for concerts.

“We’ll have everything from picnic tables to box-benches to sit on, to Adirondack chairs — a whole mix of different ways to sit,” Robinson said.

The team from dap knocked out portions of the cinderblock walls to build an entire row of glass doors that can be opened out onto the event lawn.

“This time of year, they’ll all be open and you can walk right into the food hall,” Robinson said.

Architect Joel Setzer said the firm’s intent was to honor the original structure of the nearly century-old building. It wanted to highlight the barrel-shaped roof, so they left it intact and added skylights. It kept the original trusses and concrete floors but added tile in some dining areas.

What was initially a big empty box is now divided into three distinct spaces. The brewery is on the end of the building overlooking Orange Blossom Trail. The other end is home to a 4,000-square-foot event space that can host 250 guests. It’s designed with two green rooms, a catering kitchen and a private patio.

“So one of the things that’s really missing in the community is an event space, and you already see demand for it,” Robinson said. “If you’re looking for event space, you either go downtown, which is tough to get to, or you go out towards Disney, which is even tougher to get to. And so we wanted to create the event space for the local community.”

The entire project will be the culmination of the nonprofit’s mission to leverage its real estate assets and transform them into a vibrant community, with the Packing District Park, the YMCA and food hall as key anchors.

Just across the street, a new Publix grocery store is set to open Tuesday, and it’s flanked by new retail stores that will bring even more business to the area. The replica Packing District Juice Stand at Princeton Street and Orange Blossom Trail opened in January.

Now all hands are on deck for what will be the district’s fourth major opening this year.

“The work is going fast,” Robinson said. “dap is right on top of everything, and the contractors, Brasfield & Gorrie are doing a great job.”

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.