Tameeka Randall runs and operates the downtown Baltimore restaurant, Next Phaze Cafe, with her father Tony. After a long day of hard work, the last thing they want to worry about is what they’ll be having for dinner. However, in the area of Southwest and West Baltimore, sit-down restaurants are hard to come by.
The father-daughter duo along with the help of six other local businesses are working to change this issue by launching The Mill on North. Through a tedious vetting process, this food court will provide various kinds of food from local vendors who each have a connection to West Baltimore and are best aligned with the community.
Executive Director of Coppin Heights CDC Gary Rodwell stated “You’re going to have the intersection of the college community with Coppin State University students and faculty being a part of it. You’re going to have a unique food hall situated in an African-American community, and you’re going to have a neighborhood institution that has the flavor of the [project’s] leadership and West North Avenue in it. It isn’t replicated throughout Baltimore City, those three dynamics.”
While the food hall may not change all the issues the city of Baltimore is facing, it is a great first step in the right direction. The 7,800 square-foot food hall began construction in June and many community members are awaiting for its opening in spring 2023!
“I’m looking forward to not just offering our food but being a part of something to improve the economic state of the community,” Tony said. “This project offers that, and we’re just blessed to be a part of it.”
Photo: Baltimore Magazine