Meet the vendors coming to the Durham Food Hall

The hall plans to open in early winter 2018 at 530 Foster St. in the Central Park district of downtown on the first floor of the Liberty Warehouse.

Officials recently released a list of the 10 mini-eateries and two bars that would be occupying the 15,00 square-foot space. The venue will also house two private event spaces.

“I have designed Durham Food Hall with extreme care and intention. I want my vendors to share similar values,” founder Adair Mueller said. “With 200 plus applicants interested in the hall, I relied heavily on my gut instincts to guide me. While the quality of food and techniques of these vendors are very important, their character was equally important and vital in my decision making.”

Adair Mueller, a Durham native, came up with the idea to open a food hall while living in New York City.

"While living in the city, I found my group of friends traveling 30 plus blocks to visit food halls. Traveling for food is not something New Yorkers typically do!. I realized it wasn’t just one aspect of the food halls that made us venture out; it was the entire experience a hall creates that drew us in, bringing us back week after week," Mueller said.

When it came time to find a market, Mueller thought back to her Bull City roots.

“Durham has co-working spaces for our vibrant tech community, shared labs for cutting edge researchers, and even incubators for burgeoning brew-masters – why not a space for our culinary entrepreneurs, too?" Mueller said.