By Steve Cuozzo | NY Post
The Condé Nast crowd will have lots to nosh on at the World Trade Center.
In addition to Eataly in the base of 4 WTC, Westfield Corp. — which owns all the retail space at the 16-acre complex — has signed leases with 14 gourmet food stores and grab-and-go spots, The Post has learned.
Most prominent is a Daniel Boulud spinoff of his popular uptown gourmet market, Epicerie Boulud. The 2,000 square-foot space is planned for a balcony in the Oculus, the leviathan public hall larger than Grand Central Terminal’s main room, inside the WTC transportation hub.
“We first planned this two years ago when we were approached by Westfield,” Boulud said. “For us it’s very important to be part of the revitalization downtown and of the World Trade Center.”
The new Epicerie will have a few more seats than the Broadway original but will be mainly aimed at grab-and-go clientele. Bread, cheese, charcuterie, sandwiches and raw bar shellfish will be similar to what’s on the uptown menu, “But we keep working on our product line,” Boulud said.
All the new leases total around 24,000 square feet, said Westfield WTC senior manager for food leasing Rachel Belam. Those, combined with Eataly’s 41,000 square feet, already account for more than half of the 120,000 square feet global mall giant Westfield has earmarked for food at the WTC.
Westfield has a total 350,000 square feet for retail and food uses at various locations in the Oculus, the base levels of 3 and 4 WTC, and in the underground concourses that connect them.
The most eye-popping sight on a stroll through the complex was Eataly’s home on 4 WTC’s entire third floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views, including of Church Street and Zuccotti Park, arresting enough to distract customers from Italian edibles.
The new tenant with the largest floor space is Australia-based, high-end emporium Jones the Grocer, with 11,000 square feet two levels below Eataly.
Also signed for 4 WTC’s food market are: Lore Wine & Spirits, from City Hall restaurant owner Henry Meer; Japanese confectionary K Minamoto; brew specialist Beer Table; Nobletree, described as a “new coffee concept;” and Brooklyn-based Nunu Chocolates.
Elsewhere, Swedish cafe Fika has claimed a ground-level 4 WTC space on Cortlandt Street and Philadelphia coffee seller La Colombe is coming to the Oculus.
The West Gallery — the gleaming, east-west corridor that runs parallel to the base of 1 WTC — will have Devon & Blakely on the ground floor. On a second level with entrances to Condé’s offices and to the rooftop One World
Observatory, deals are signed for Pret a Manger, Japanese merchant Wasabi Sushi and Bento, Joe Coffee, and Treat House.
The last, a branch of an Upper West Side bakery that sells only variations on Rice Krispie treats, will be the tiniest new tenant with just 172 square feet.
“Our overall vision is to give a wide breadth of offerings to our customers,” Belam said. “We’ve tried to give coffee a consistent spot throughout our locations.”
