Food halls exist in just about every European urban center, often in the basements of upscale department stores, and they have popped up all over Japan in the last decade. In the US, at least 4 have very recently opened their doors in NY. More close to home, a smaller version of a food hall is scheduled to open in Alexandria, VA, albeit a high end one called Society Fair (pdf).

More than a covered market, a food hall hosts gourmet and speciality food shops, open dining areas including communal tables, a collection of mini-restaurants and a farmers market rolled under one roof.

A neighborhood food hall would be all those things in a an environment that is more urban than upscale but without sacrificing the quality of the food. And unlike many food halls, it would be located in a neighborhood that is underserved by food establishments so that it becomes an anchor for local economic development.

The Artisan Food Incubator is a hybrid business incubator, restaurant, and community investment center that supports and advises in the development of food oriented businesses, including but not limited to restaurants, food trucks, caterers, personal chefs, food producers, and specialty food producers.

The incubator would provide a fully licensed shared commercial kitchen, office space, support staff, marketing support, and access to financial advisors and resources so that would-be entrepreneurs can work toward opening independently owned and run businesses in the food service and food production industry.

A primary part of the incubator is a a fully licensed restaurant and bar that participants can operate as their own business before moving on their permanent locations. As a kind of “pop-up” restaurant that changes every couple of months, it would benefit not only the participant but the local dining community.

The incubator is not a cooking school, but rather a place where individuals with the chutzpah to start their own food-related business can gain real experience in the process of opening and running a business and network with like-minded go-getters.