Former Talin Market to get new life as ‘CHOMP!’ food bazaar
CHOMP! is the new food bazaar coming to Santa Fe’s Luna Complex
During his college years in Philadelphia, local developer Ken Joseph remembers regularly visiting the city’s Reading Terminal Market, a landmark food bazaar.
Recently, he’s seen similar food court markets pop up in major cities across the country, such as Denver and New York. He mentions Green Jean’s Farmery in Albuquerque as a similar operation.
“Fast, casual, fun, highquality food is what the dining market is evolving to,” said Joseph, who oversees the Luna Complex, the mixed-use commercial space downtown at Cerrillos Road and Manhattan Avenue that houses Ohori’s Coffee Roasters, New Mexico Hard Cider and other business.
For the spot Talin Market vacated earlier this year, he’s taking inspiration from the other food bazaars to design a destination that he says will be all about “community and fun.”
CHOMP!, expected to open in August, has 21 potential kiosk spaces that can be rented by local restaurants, food vendors or other businesses.
The nearby State Capital Kitchen has signed on to make handmade pasta, local Japanese restaurant Shohko Cafe will be offering ramen, Santa Fe Honey Salon will
have a stand, and New Mexico Hard Cider will open up a second bar in the space. A door will connect CHOMP! to Ohori’s.
While recently walking through the space, which back in the day was Healy Matthews Stationery store, where Joseph remembers buying his school supplies as a kid, Joseph said he’s in talks with local vendors for other offerings, such as cheese, chocolate and Thai or Indian food.
“What’s really left are just dry kiosks” without space to prepare food, he said. “I’m looking for purveyors like olive oils and balsamic vinegars, a farm stand … that’s what’s left.”
Joseph said he is carefully curating the approximately 6,000 square feet with sellers who he believes can offer energy and something “exciting and different.” Other offerings he’s interested in are smoothies or fresh juice, pastries and fresh fish.
“I don’t have any burritos yet,” he said. “I’d love to add some burritos. There are no breakfast burritos within four blocks of here.”
CHOMP! will have three different types of kiosks, Joseph explained. About half of them are dry kiosks that rent for $750 a month. Two kiosks have display refrigeration and cost $1,000 a month. The remaining “food service” kiosks, some of which include a window to a courtyard where they can serve customers outside, range from $1,000-$1,500 a month.
His current design plan includes 11 fourtop tables in the middle of the indoor space. The courtyard will be permitted for outside dining. The second floor could be used as overflow seating, he said, adding he hopes to eventually put a demo kitchen upstairs for chefs to rent or which could be used for cooking classes.
Joseph said Santa Fe is starting to understand the need for more community-centric events and spaces. He mentioned groups like Meow Wolf and the Santa Fe Bandstand, which he thinks are doing just that. The goal with his new ideas for the Luna Center, Joseph said, is to be a part of that momentum.
A new restaurant, DeSoto, is also planned at the center.
“Between this and the restaurant space, there’s 300 feet of plate glass — kind of (like a) fishbowl where people look in and see excitement happening,” he said. “And that’s rare for Santa Fe.”