ORLANDO, Fla. — Dr. Phillips Charities, The Packing District’s developer, announced Wednesday that Chef Akhtar Nawab and his consulting group, Hospitality HQ, will operate a food hall planned for the development.

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The 17,300 sq. ft. food hall will open in the historic Southern Box building near North Orange Blossom Trail and Princeton Street.

Nawab, who is based in New York, is a first-generation Indian-American who specializes in Italian, French and Mexican cuisine, the organization said.

He has appeared on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” in the past.

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“Through a national search, we discovered HHQ and believe (its) commitment to a high-quality, chef-driven experience aligns with our vision for the food hall,” said Ken Robinson, Dr. Phillips Charities’ president and CEO.

HQ Hospitality will handle menu engineering, marketing and accounting for the venue’s 11 vendors, which will focus heavily on “immigrant cuisine,” the organization said.

“We are proud to provide a future home to a number of local vendors launching their first brick and mortar locations or taking the chance and expanding their business with us,” Nawab said.

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Construction is slated to begin in August, and it should be completed by the second quarter of 2023.

Hospitality HQ manages Alta Calidad in Brooklyn, New York; Otra Vez, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dr. Murphy’s Food Hall in Chicago, Illinois; Patchwork at the Hyatt Centric in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Marble City Market in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The new district will also feature a 100-acre public park, an office building, a seven-story hotel, a brewery, event space, a restaurant and bar and a parking garage.

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