New, Unique Upscale Dining Experience with Cocktail Lounge Next door Now Open Downtown Grand Rapids

There’s a new restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids that doesn’t really sound like anything else in the city right now!

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It’s called Trust, and it just opened inside the long-vacant space at 117 S. Division. The building had been sitting empty for years before Chef Trimell Hawkins took it on.

A Chef’s Vision Years in the Making

Hawkins grew up cooking alongside his grandmother in Chicago. After four years in the Marine Corps, he made his way to Grand Rapids and enrolled in culinary school. A graduate of the Secchia Institute of Culinary Arts at Grand Rapids Community College, he has built a long resume in local kitchens.

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Hawkins has held leadership roles at places like Black Heron, Forty Acres Soul Kitchen, Gravity Taphouse and Grill, and Portico at the Canopy by Hilton. He also launched his own catering and private dining work through Poetry on Plates before stepping into this project, which he has been building toward for years.

The name Trust feels fitting. It reflects Hawkins trusting his vision, trusting the process, and finally opening a space that brings together everything he has learned along the way.

A New, Intimate, Chef-Driven Dining Experience in Grand Rapids

The building itself plays a big role in that story. Hawkins was heavily involved in the renovation, helping bring the space back to life after it had sat unused since 2016. It’s now a 2,000-square-foot dining room centered around an open kitchen, with warm finishes and a layout that keeps the focus on the food.

This is a 24-seat tasting menu restaurant built around a seven-course experience that changes monthly. The price is $100 per guest and reservations are required.

The style is what Hawkins calls New American with soul, blending classical French technique with Southern tradition.

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Dishes may evoke comforting childhood favorites, but with a modern, upscale twist. You'll find items like mussel escabeche served with house-made crackers, jerk oxtail beignets, and a reworked banana pudding presented in a layered, plated format instead of the traditional version. It’s storytelling through ingredients, and each course builds on the last. Here’s how Trust is described on the restaurant’s website:

Tellers Lounge Extends the Experience

Right next door is Tellers Lounge, a small cocktail bar with a historic feel that focuses on craft drinks and conversation. The idea behind it is modern cocktails in a historic setting. The menu rotates, with more than 50 cocktails built using house-made ingredients and a strong emphasis on technique.

Even though Tellers and Trust are separate businesses with different owners, they are clearly designed to complement each other. Tellers does not have its own kitchen, so food from Trust is available next door, allowing guests to move between a full tasting menu experience and a more casual cocktail setting without leaving the building.

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Follow Tellers Lounge and Trust on Instagram to keep up with both of these new additions to downtown Grand Rapids. An intimate, unique, chef-curated experience awaits!