Historic Fort Worth Public Market Teams Up With Local Top Chef On New Dining Concepts

A $45 million transformation of one of downtown Fort Worth’s most beloved landmarks is finally coming into focus. Three new culinary concepts are slated to open this fall as part of the reopening of The Public Market, the 15,000-square-foot building that overlooks the corner of West Lancaster Avenue.

Wilks Development, which bought the building in 2014, recently announced that Chef Jenna Kinard (former executive chef at Max’s Wine Dive and Hotel Drover’s 97 West) and her husband, Micah Kinard, along with Kansas City restaurateur Christian Moscoso, will be heading The Public Market’s three food and beverage concepts: Madrone, an upscale Texas cuisine restaurant; Willow, a cocktail lounge; and Public Market Café & Goods. Jenna says discussions about a collaboration began three years ago.

“Our real estate agent Lee Owen introduced us to Wilks Development and a project they had planned in Willow Park,” Jenna tells PaperCity Fort Worth.

“Over time, we explored a few different concepts for that area, but nothing quite stuck. Then, not long after, Jess Green [with Wilks Development] reached out to us with a new idea — an opportunity to bring multiple concepts to life under one roof in the Public Market building. That’s when things really started to take shape.”

First Look at Madrone, Willow, and Public Market Café & Goods

Jenna says she and her husband have been looking for a place where creativity thrives, and with Madrone, that dream is finally taking root. Setting Madrone apart, she says, is the restaurant’s culture.

“In our kitchen, we’ll cook with passion, explore freely, and have fun doing what we love, hoping our guests feel that same excitement at the table,” Jenna says. “I named the restaurant after the native Texas madrone tree, an evergreen that flourishes year-round. It’s a symbol of our mission: to stay in season at all times, resilient and ever-evolving. Our menu will follow that rhythm, changing often and shaped by what’s fresh, local, and inspiring in the moment. Every dish is a reflection of the present, of the land, the season, and the people who bring it to life.”

Jenna says that seasonal touch will extend to Willow, which will have a wide selection of liquors across many categories. Whether it’s a gin-forward spring menu or a bourbon-inspired fall selection, the menu will evolve to reflect what’s fresh and in season. The Kinards also plan to grow produce on site via hydroponics.

“The idea emerged during one of our brainstorming sessions as we discussed how to capture the tradition of fresh, local produce, much like what you might’ve experienced in these very walls back in the day when the space was home to local farmers and ranchers,” she says. “Growing ingredients on-site has always been a key goal of mine, and a hydroponic system provides the perfect solution. It lets us achieve that while also bringing life and a beautiful aesthetic to the space.”

Since their earliest days as a couple, Jenna said she and Micah have shared a dream of opening a restaurant together. One decade later, she says, “We made the decision to radically redirect our lives toward the Lord, our marriage, and the dreams we once had.”

The Fort Worth Public Market: A Historic Revival for a New Generation

Designed by B. Gaylord Noftsger and developed by John J. Harden, The Public Market opened on June 20, 1930. Despite its early popularity, the Great Depression brought economic struggles that eventually shuttered the building.  It closed in 1941, and other tenants passed through before the building became vacant in 2002.

Named a Texas Historic Landmark in 1980 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the Fort Worth Public Market building was later recognized for its significant role in Fort Worth’s commercial history and its unique Spanish Colonial Revival-style architectural design.

Wilks Development purchased the Fort Worth Public Market in 2015 as part of a dream to restore an important space that Historic Fort Worth deemed an “endangered historical building.” Following years of research and studies, Wilks Development began the restoration process in June 2023. The Wilks Development team also added The Harden at the Public Market, a 62-plus active senior community behind the building where the horse and cattle stalls once stood.

Reflecting on the final stages of the project, Jenna says the opportunity to be part of the revitalization of such a beloved building in Fort Worth is just one of many prayers that have been answered for her family.

“This building has always been our favorite in the city, and years ago, we’d daydream about how surreal it would be to do something here,” she says.

“To see that prayer answered, in the heart of our hometown, is nothing short of a dream come true. It’s a joy, an honor, and something we hope will serve this community for many, many years to come. We’re humbled, grateful, and more in love with each other and with Jesus than ever before.”