By Joshua Burd
A new restaurant that offers early American soul food fused with West African and Caribbean flavor is joining the mix in downtown Maplewood, according to a local brokerage firm.
KW Commercial MTD Realty Group, which is based in the township, said it has brought the operator known as Cornbread to 1565 Springfield Ave. The restaurant is filling the former space of B. Hathaway’s Meeting Place, in what the firm says is an emerging neighborhood.
“We are really excited about the new Cornbread location,” Clayton Brown of KW Commercial said in a prepared statement. “It will provide a unique dining experience for all of the people in the area and for all of the new families moving into and around Maplewood.”
Along with Cornbread, Brown has brokered deals to bring a new fried chicken and ice cream concept to the intersection of Springfield and Boyden avenues, directly across from AvalonBay’s project. He said the walking distance to the Avalon project, the Maplewood pool and two new multifamily projects near the intersection will bring hundreds of passersby daily.
Cornbread, which reportedly is slated to open in May, is just steps from a new 235-unit AvalonBay residential community and several retailers. The restaurant will use farm-to-table ingredients.
“I know Maplewood well, I have relatives here and am a huge fan of their progressive and diverse culture,” said Cornbread owner Adenah Bayoh, who is also a local IHOP owner and real estate developer. “Cornbread will be a unique and vibrant establishment that will be strongly connected to the community.”
