Eateries relocate to Johns Hopkins student hub
Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus is set to enhance its dining scene with the arrival of a new student center, featuring a food hall that showcases Baltimore's rich culinary landscape. Four local vendors, handpicked from over 100 contenders, will bring a coffee shop, a full-service restaurant, and four quick-service food stalls to the campus.
The full-service restaurant, named Mo's Place, will be located on the third floor and boasts direct access to the Brody Learning Commons. Chef Tim Ma, the driving force behind this venture, is committed to finding a balance between serving food he's proud of and maintaining an affordable price point for college students. The restaurant is named in honour of Morris Offit, a 1957 JHU graduate and former board chair.
One of the selected vendors, Koshary Corner, specialises in plant-forward, Mediterranean-inspired food and will offer vegan dishes, halal meat, beef and chicken shawarma, Egyptian-style falafel, and a variety of eggplant dishes. Another vendor, Connie's, will launch its third location at Hopkins, with its name updated to simply Connie's, signifying its expanded concept beyond just chicken and waffles.
The four quick-service food stalls will represent cultures including Egypt, China, Maryland, and beyond, showcasing global and local cuisine. A coffee shop vendor will focus on high-quality coffee and café fare, contributing to the variety within the food hall.
The selection of these vendors was intentional, aiming to celebrate Baltimore's restaurant scene and provide students with a taste of home and diverse culinary experiences. The process involved a student-staff-faculty food expo, where selections were made based on community votes.
This partnership reflects a commitment to local sourcing and culinary diversity, giving students access to a range of quick meals, coffee, and sit-down dining options within the new student center. The student center's food hall will be located on its first floor, with seating for 150 people.
Urban Kitchen, launched by Jasmine Norton, a trailblazer as the first Black woman to open an oyster bar in the United States, will bring its groundbreaking talents to the Homewood campus. The menu will include smoked brisket banh mi, oyster mushroom fritters, broccoli caesar salad, and more. Norton has expressed appreciation for the thoughtfulness and learning opportunities provided by Hopkins Dining during the process of opening a food stall at the student center.
Tim Ma, the founder of Tim Ma Hospitality, is no stranger to the culinary world, having helped open roughly 15 restaurants and bars, cooked at the White House, and co-founded the nonprofit Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate before returning to Hopkins as a restaurateur.
This exciting development is set to enrich the campus dining experience, offering students a taste of Baltimore's diverse culinary scene right at their doorstep.
- Johns Hopkins University's new student center, due on the Homewood campus, is set to showcase Baltimore's rich culinary landscape through a food hall, featuring a food stall by Urban Kitchen, a trailblazing oyster bar in the United States.
- The selection of vendors for the food hall was intentional, aiming to provide students with a taste of home and diverse culinary experiences, with Koshary Corner specializing in plant-forward, Mediterranean-inspired food, and Connie's expanding its concept beyond just chicken and waffles.
- Tim Ma, renowned for his culinary prowess and commitments to local sourcing, will be opening Mo's Place, a full-service restaurant within the food hall, inspired by Morris Offit, a 1957 JHU graduate.
- The student center's food hall will offer a variety of dining options, including a high-quality coffee shop, quick-service food stalls representing global and local cuisines, and a spacious seating area for 150 people, contributing to the student lifestyle and university news about campus life and food-and-drink.