Wilmington food hall DECO has arrived

Three weeks ago, the DECO food hall announced its roster of chefs for the long-awaited food hall project. At the time, only the bar was finished: The rest of the space was still under construction, counting down for the April 18 opening.

As guests, including the press, were welcomed in for an early look at the finished product for the ribbon cutting on Wednesday afternoon, what we saw was a space that had been totally transformed. The eight stalls each has its own custom design reflecting the business, from Bardea’s distressed tile facade to Connie’s chicken signage, each one is distinctive and gives you an idea of what you can expect from their food.

“It all really went smoothly,” said Peter DiPrinzio, cofounder of DECO and its inspiration, Baltimore’s R. House.

Gov. John Carney, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and City Councilwoman Michelle Harlee were among the speakers at the ribbon cutting, as well as Chris Buccini of the Buccini Pollin Group (BPG), who traveled around the country in search of the food hall to model DECO after.

“My grandfather just turned 100 years old last weekend,” said Buccini. “He was born in Italy. He worked here in the DuPont Building. And, now, here we are.”

The 100 new employees at the food hall brings the number of jobs in the city created by BPG to 860.

After April 18, DECO will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Have a look: