By: Laura Peters
October 14, 2019
The historic Monticello Dairy Building will be getting a new tenant, or rather tenants. An upscale food hall is expected to open in 2020 in Charlottesville’s old dairy structure.
Up and coming restaurant endeavors are flocking to the concept of food halls. Think cafeteria, but better — and chic. Food halls have multiple food vendors under one roof with various spots to sit down and eat. The concept and trend is akin to the food truck craze that swept the nation, which started nearly a decade ago.
The new food hall called The Dairy Market is set to open in the spring of 2020.
Some of the founding merchants set to open the new spot include Starr Hill Brewery, Angelic’s Kitchen, CHIMM St., Take It Away and ELEVA COFFEE, according to a release.
Starr Hill expects to open by the spring with other merchants following in the summer.
Stoney Point Design/Build, a privately-held commercial, multi-family and mixed-use real estate development, management and acquisition firm based in Charlottesville is building the new development.
What: New food hall with several local food merchants
Where: 946 Grady Ave. in Charlottesville
When: Spring 2020
About the new “live, work, play” development
The Dairy Market is the first food hall concept in Virginia’s Central Piedmont and will be able to hold 18 merchant stalls encompassing 11,500 square feet, the release said. There will be 7,000 square feet of unique event space and a large, leafy public plaza, the release said.
The Dairy Market is part of a larger concept called Dairy Central, which will have much more than the food hall when it’s completed, according to its website. Dairy Central is a multi-use complex that will feature 50,000 square feet of office space, 180 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments, a total of over 30,000 square feet of shopping and restaurant space and on-site parking, the site said.
Previously, the old dairy building was home to Three Notch’d Brewing and McGrady’s Irish Pub, which was later replaced by Cho’s Nachos and Beer.
Dairy Central is a multi-use complex that will feature 50,000 square feet of office space, 180 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments, a total of over 30,000 square feet of shopping and restaurant space and on-site parking.
Dairy Central is a multi-use complex that will feature 50,000 square feet of office space, 180 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments, a total of over 30,000 square feet of shopping and restaurant space and on-site parking.
Dairy Central is a multi-use complex that will feature 50,000 square feet of office space, 180 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments, a total of over 30,000 square feet of shopping and restaurant space and on-site parking.
More on the merchants:
- Starr Hill Brewery
The brewery will open a new pilot brewery at The Dairy Market called Starr Downtown, which is blocks away from where the brewery started in 1999. - Angelic’s Kitchen
Soul food by Angelic Jenkins. Jenkins has been serving up her food for the past five years with her catering operation and most recently with a food truck. Southern food feature sides like crispy seasoned wings, homemade macaroni and cheese, collard greens seasoned with smoked turkey and cornbread style hush puppies. - CHIMM St.
Integrating regional foods and flavors of Southeast Asia. In Thai, Chimm means “taste.” At CHIMM St., expect to be captivated by authentic Thai flavors in a food hall environment perfect for infusing ingenuity and wholesomeness to each dish. - Take It Away
Take It Away has served the Charlottesville and the University of Virginia community for 27 years, using all-natural meats and cheeses, and freshly baked breads. There will be a hot sandwich menu at the new location. - ELEVA COFFEE
Brooklyn-based, Eleva coffee, a coffee roasting company, will be the Dairy Market’s center hall farm-to-cup coffee company. Eleva sources in three origins, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Ethiopia, which produce distinct-tasting coffees.
Dairy building history
The building was home to the Monticello Ice Cream Company in 1912, which purchased cream and other raw materials from the Colthurst Farm on Barracks Road, according to history on the Dairy Market website. Back then, ice cream was delivered throughout the city via horse and buggy. In 1930, the company was renamed Monticello Dairy, Inc. and started producing milk, butter and cheese. By 1936, architect Elmer Burruss designed and built the dairy building, which housed a place for people to eat ice cream and gather, the site said.
For more information visit DairyMarketCville.com.