Since moving to the United States in 2018, Alp Gumuscu has gotten a taste of American food, but he longed for a way to connect with his Turkish roots.
Gumuscu, who was formerly the executive chef of Yagi Noodles in Newport, would sometimes make Turkish food for his colleagues and friends. His food received rave reviews, which sparked Gumuscu’s interest in opening a restaurant with his wife, Tarci Galarza. But this was only an idea.
That is, until they learned about plans for a food hall opening in the former Union Station located in downtown Providence.
“It was something that was brewing, but we didn’t have a way of executing it yet,” Galarza said.
In June, the pair did a 10-course tasting menu for the food hall’s developer, Chris Marsella, president of Marsella Development Corp., and the operator, Matthias Kiehm, principal of Convivium Hospitality Group. Their restaurant concept, Tolia, is meant to represent the Anatolian region, which includes Turkey and other parts of Middle Eastern countries.
Now Tolia is one of seven restaurants that will be housed in the 18,500-square-foot food hall known as Track 15, which is slated to open on Feb. 27.
“This is great to be part of and the best way to open the space,” Gumuscu said. “It’s exciting to be rediscovering my roots.”
Joining Tolia on Track 15’s lineup are Dune Brothers, which will have seafood and a raw bar; Dolores, specializing in Mexican food; There, There, serving burgers and sandwiches; Little Chaska, with Indian food; Giusto, serving Italian food; and pizza from Mother Pizzeria.
Choosing restaurants for the food hall was a lengthy journey, Marsella said. Once the development team decided what kinds of food it wanted in Track 15, team members spent months eating their way through the state.
“We wanted to make sure that what we were offering was a really good representation of the market, as well as some of the real creative talent,” Marsella said, noting some days were spent driving through Rhode Island eating foods like fried fish, burgers or pizza.
Plans for Track 15 were first announced in 2021, when the food hall was expected to open by summer 2022.
But the opening was delayed because of COVID-19 pandemic-related supply chain issues, as well as structural issues in the historic building, Marsella said.
While it wasn’t a cause for the food hall’s delay, Marsella said he noticed chefs and restaurant owners struggling to keep businesses running during the pandemic.
Now, Marsella says he is happy with the timing of the opening. Chaos in the restaurant industry has subsided, and it comes weeks before major events happening downtown, such as a food and wine festival and an NCAA basketball tournament in March.
Track 15 is expected to be a draw for those who live outside of Providence and the state.
“This is not only an offering, but a destination,” Marsella said.
The food hall, which will be surrounded by hotels in downtown Providence, will be close to popular destinations like the Amica Mutual Pavilion and the Providence Place mall.
Marsella said the food hall will cost $25 million, funded through the developers and other investors, as well as a $1 million grant from the Rebuild Rhode Island Tax Credit Program.
“It was an expensive project, no doubt about it, but we wanted to do something unique,” Marsella said.
Indeed, Track 15 will be the state’s first food hall.
Marsella said he admired the food halls across Europe and noticed a trend of them popping up across the United States. Also, he wanted to bring something different to the ground floor of Union Station, which has been vacant since the Capital Grille moved across the street.
He said food halls are different from mall food courts because they have more local and artisanal options that are meant to bring people together, plus it was a culinary experience that didn’t exist in downtown Providence.
“Food halls just had a proven track record of impact,” Marsella said.
The developers partnered with Kiehm to operate the space because he shared their vision of taking a more local approach, Marsella said.
“He came to us with a hospitality background and educated us that this was a hospitality project,” Marsella said. “It’s really not a place to just come and have a bite to eat and drink – it’s more than that.”
Galarza and Gumuscu say they hope people enjoy Tolia’s food, which includes modernized versions of recipes that are thousands of years old. But they hope customers will also leave with more knowledge about the Anatolian culture.
“I’m excited for everybody who comes to our restaurant to try a whole new cuisine and learn about a new culture,” Galarza said. “It’s not only about the food.”
