Hartford Business Journal

12 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 19, 2026 Growth Recipe Parkville Market owner expands into catering, events Carlos Mouta outside his new Seafood Shack restaurant at the Parkville Market. HBJ Photos | Michael Puffer By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com S ix years after opening Hartford's Parkville Market, developer Carlos Mouta is moving from restaurant landlord to operator as he expands the property's catering and events business. In late September, Mouta opened Seafood Shack, the first food stall he operates directly at the indoor market. He plans to open at least two more concepts as other vendors leave. The restaurants will feed market customers while providing a pool of trained workers to staff weddings, corporate gatherings and other func- tions at the roughly 12,000-square-foot events venue he opened next door last year. Mouta has hired an executive chef and is nearly finished adding a commercial kitchen to the events space as part of about $1.5 million in upgrades. "Now we have a kitchen and even if we only have one, two events a week, we need a pool of laborers," Mouta said. Each of his stalls could employ up to five workers who could also pick up shifts at events, he said. In-house catering The strategy marks a shift for Mouta, who entered the food-service business in 2020 with his roughly $5 million redevelopment of a 20,000-square-foot warehouse into Parkville Market. The market's 22 stalls offer foods ranging from Jamaican beef patties and Puerto Rican mofongo to Kore- an-style fried chicken, Peruvian ceviche and Middle Eastern flatbreads. Until Seafood Shack opened, Mouta relied on independent vendors to operate the food stalls. His expansion into events began in March 2025, when he opened the adjacent venue following nearly $1 million in renovations to the lower level of an industrial building at 1390-1400 Park St. The space seats about 430 people and can accommodate about 700 standing. It opened without its own kitchen, however, limiting his ability to directly cater larger functions. "But the problem was the food had to come from the vendors here or had to come from outside catering. Now our chefs can do all of it," Mouta said during a recent interview at the market. The event space includes bars, a stage, lighting and televisions. Renovations also included realigning structural columns to create wider spacing. In its first year, the venue hosted 10 events, including corporate gath- erings. It has yet to host a wedding, something Mouta believes the lack of a commercial kitchen made more difficult. New team The restaurant and catering expansion is part of Mouta's effort to take a more hands-on role at Parkville Market. He said he has replaced much of the market's executive staff over the past year, assembled a team with broader hospitality experience and moved his own office to the market. Among the additions is food and beverage director Bradley Cooper, who Mouta said previously worked at House of Blues and MGM in the Boston area. Cole Zering, a former intern, serves as director of operations. Executive chef Jeff Ross over- sees Seafood Shack and is helping

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