Heritage Kitchen to leave Whitehall Market food hall in Hampden

Heritage Kitchen, a Filipino-inspired restaurant from chef Rey Eugenio, announced this weekend that it will be leaving Hampden’s Whitehall Market at the end of May.

“This is not a goodbye for us and we will see you soon, Baltimore,” Eugenio, who could not immediately be reached for comment, wrote in a note to customers on Instagram.

The three-year-old business is the last remaining vendor to publicize its exit from the food hall, which opened in 2020 in a restored mill along the Jones Falls at 3300 Clipper Mill Road. The Brisket Hub, a pop-up, shut down in mid-April, according to a post on social media.

Will Hampden’s Whitehall Market be empty soon?

Wight Tea Co., which had earlier confirmed to The Baltimore Banner its plans to shut down the Whitehall Market stand, announced in a social media post over the weekend that they will officially close May 28. “Please, do not respond with sadness,” co-owner Brittany Wight wrote in a video on Instagram. “This overall IS a positive thing and I need positive and loving statements right now.”

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Moving forward, Wight Tea will focus on e-commerce and wholesale business, and transition its tea blending operations to York Road’s B-more Kitchen Accelerator Space, a shared kitchen for small businesses, according to its website.

Brittany Wight and cashier Ariel complete an order at Wight Tea Co. in Whitehall Market on March 7, 2023. — Brittany Wight, right, and cashier Ariel complete an order at Wight Tea Co. in Whitehall Market on March 7. (Krishna Sharma)

Also departing: Gundalow Gourmet and Designs, which opened a separate location at the Shops at Kenilworth. Western Maryland’s FireFly Farms is shutting down its stall, as is Ceremony Coffee Roasters, confirmed developer David Tufaro.

Urban Burger Bar and Crust by Mack shut down last year. Crust by Mack is now set to relocate to Baltimore’s soon-to-be-renovated Harborplace, where it will host an occasional spring pop-up beginning May 13. Jasmine Norton, the owner of Urban Burger Bar, is opening a new restaurant on Hampden’s Avenue.

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While True Chesapeake Oyster Co. will continue to operate its full-service restaurant next door to the market, the round of departures leave the food hall’s future up in the air.

In an effort to draw foot traffic to the space, which sits on a narrow and secluded stretch of road, the market’s manager, Joy Stewart, has organized events such as drag brunches and karaoke nights.

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Tufaro, whose company Terra Nova Ventures redeveloped Whitehall Market from a warehouse that stored books and, later, pornography, could not be immediately reached for comment on the departure of Heritage Kitchen. He previously told The Baltimore Banner that he is continuing to look for new tenants to replace the departing vendors and feels confident in the food hall’s future.

christina.tkacik@thebaltimorebanner.com

Christina Tkacik

christina.tkacik@thebaltimorebanner.com