DECO has announced the names of eight of the chef-tenants to occupy the downtown Wilmington food hall under construction on the ground floor of the Dupont Building. The line-up includes:

• Spark'd, a creative pastry shop specializing in all-day baked goods, coffee and special-occasion cakes
• Connie's Chicken & Waffles, a Baltimore favorite that is thrilled to expand into Wilmington
• Pizzeria Bardea, a James Beard semifinalist with Neapolitan-inspired pies and farm-to-table salads
• Phubs, serving Vietnamese pho, banh-mi subs and rice bowls
• The Verandah, an Indian street food outpost for samosas, kabab wraps, chaats, parathas and tikki masala
• Stripp'd, offering smoothies, juices, acai bowls and salads
• Al Chu's Sushi, sushi and poke "“ and a triumphant return! "“ from a Wilmington legend

In addition, The Pop-Up, or "test kitchen," will serve as a home to a rotating roster of chef-tenants that will change biweekly to monthly throughout the year. The first tenant of The Pop-Up will be Dan Sheridan and the Locale BBQ Post, with barbecue sandwiches and classic sides.

Tenants plan to hire upward of 100 new employees before the grand opening on April 18. The food hall will be open weekdays starting at 7 a.m. and closing at 11 p.m.

Imian Partners, the Connecticut-based real estate firm behind Constitution Yards Beer Garden, will manage the shared space.