Manhattanville Market Opens at Columbia
Manhattanville Market has just opened at Columbia University's West Harlem campus, bringing four new fast-casual dining options — Butterfunk Biscuit, Shai Hummusiya, a Sicilian pizzeria, and more — to the neighborhood. Open daily from 11:00AM to 7:00PM, it's a new option for students and locals looking for variety and quality.
The food hall is the creation of celebrated chef Franklin Becker, a veteran of the New York restaurant scene and a competitor on *Top Chef Masters*. He personally developed three of the initial four concepts: the Israeli-inspired Shai Hummusiya, the Sicilian-style pizzeria Benny Casanova's, and The Botanist, a salad bar. The fourth opening-day vendor, Butterfunk Biscuit, comes from chef Chris Scott, a semifinalist on *Top Chef*. The venture is a collaboration with Becker and focuses on biscuit sandwiches based on a recipe passed down through four generations of Scott's family. Manhattanville Market opened on June 25, 2021, after a nearly three-year development process. The team has committed to hiring from the surrounding West Harlem neighborhood and sourcing from local purveyors. The market is located on the ground floor of the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, a 458,000-square-foot facility that is the largest building Columbia has ever constructed. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the building is the first to be completed on the new 17-acre Manhattanville campus and houses the university's Mind, Brain, and Behavior research initiative. Future plans for the market include a seasonal bazaar that will feature local artisans and purveyors selling farm-fresh produce and other goods. In September 2021, the market's fifth and final vendor, a full-service Spanish tapas restaurant named Oliva, opened in an elevated space within the hall.
