Community leaders gather at Mae's Food Hall on Friday for the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. 

The ribbon was officially cut Friday morning on Mae’s Food Hall, the Warehouse District’s newest, most ambitious development project in the decades since private investors first bought and renovated what was once a disused swath of historic buildings along Cullman’s First Avenue.

The six-restaurant, food court-style venue held its grand opening to the public immediately following Friday morning’s ribbon cutting, after a week-long soft opening already had begun bringing in customers at a promising pace.

Mae’s owner Shane Quick, who named the food hall in honor of his grandmother, thanked the crowd of local leaders at Friday’s ceremony for easing the six-month development process.

“I look around the room, and I see a lot of people who, if were not for you, this wouldn’t be happening at all,” said Quick.

“This city is open for business. That’s what I love about Cullman: we’re all about finding a way to make it happen and finding the right way to do it.”

Quick also thanked neighboring business owners for their cooperation throughout the construction process.

“All the tenants that put up with us over the last six months while we were building in this area — we appreciate their patience, and we hope that it makes a huge impact on their businesses as well,” he said.

“Maybe this is just the beginning of many more things like this from other entrepreneurs and other risk takers.”

Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs said Mae’s represents the culmination of an adaptive reuse effort that first began years ago, when local businessmen Danny McAfee and Eddie Hart targeted Cullman’s old warehouse area as a retail investment project.

“I can remember back — and yeah, I’m old enough — when this was just an old warehouse building,” said Jacobs. “The city’s gas pumps were over here. This place…well, it wasn’t blighted, but it looked rough. Eddie had enough vision to buy that building; ran his trucking company out of the top; turned the bottom into rental, and it slowly began to grow.

“And now, this. We’re thrilled and thankful.”

Hours

Sunday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Monday – Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Mae’s houses five restaurants and one full-service bar, with room to add two more food establishments over time. If you go, here are your options:

Cantina Tortilla Grill — Tacos, nachos, churros and other freshly-made Mexican fare.

I Love Bacon — Mile-high Burgers, BLTs, and mac and cheese — at I Love Bacon, they all have one thing in common (can you guess?)

Strada di Napoli — Authentic Neapolitan pizzeria offering traditional pizza, crafted by master pizziolo and dough expert Omid Maleki, in a wood-fired brick oven.

Link’s Hot Dogs & Hamburgers — Gourmet grilled ‘dogs and burgers served on specialty buns, accompanied by fries served plain or loaded with toppings.

Lichita’s — Taking ice cream and popsicles to the next level, Lichita’s serves up flavors like guava, pistachio and burnt milk — while still keeping things traditional with good old vanilla and chocolate.

Ruckus Bar — Expertly-mixed and signature cocktails, along with poured drinks. Take a seat at the bar and socialize, or enjoy your beverage with a meal at any seat throughout the venue.