If you trace Trimell Hawkins’ path to this moment, it reads less like a résumé and more like a carefully composed menu—each step deliberate, each experience building toward something bigger. This month, that vision comes to life with the opening of Trust, his long-awaited dream restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids.
Born in Chicago and shaped by his service as a U.S. Marine, Hawkins’ earliest lessons in leadership and discipline were paired with something warmer: the kitchen of his grandmother, who cooked daily for a household of ten children. “I grew up in the kitchen,” he says. “I fell in love with food and hospitality because of her.” That love carried him through ice cream shops, chain restaurants, and hotel kitchens, and eventually into entrepreneurship with Poetry on Plates, the catering and cooking-class company he launched in 2022.
A graduate of the Secchia Institute of Culinary Arts at Grand Rapids Community College, Hawkins has since become a recognizable force in West Michigan’s food scene. He’s led kitchens at Gravity Taphouse, Black Heron, and Forty Acres Soul Kitchen, earned GRCC’s Young Alumni Award, and — just as importantly — claimed the title of Top GR Chef in the 2025 Girl Scout Cookie Challenge.
Now, with Trust, Hawkins is focused on something deeper than a great meal. He’s creating an experience —intentional, intimate, and immersive. “You only get one chance to make a first impression,” he says, and he’s made sure every detail counts.
The restaurant features an 11-foot, Eric Ahlquist-built Chef’s Table overlooking the kitchen, refinished floors, expanded bathrooms, and carefully chosen fixtures. Much of the renovation was funded through a Northern Initiatives loan supported by Independent Bank—and much of the labor came from Hawkins himself. “It was very much hands-on,” he says. Electricians and plumbers handled the essentials; Hawkins handled nearly everything else. Even the wine storage tells a story: a dozen oversized safe-deposit boxes, salvaged with the help of friends and family on a sweltering summer day, now await wine club members. “They’re bigger and heavier than you’d think,” he laughs.
Trust seats just 24 guests, serving seven-course meals that Hawkins describes as “New American with soul.” The menu changes monthly and can be tailored for dietary needs, but its heart lies in family heritage. Childhood staples reemerge as elevated surprises—canned oysters and saltines transformed into fresh mussel escabeche with housemade crackers; alongside jerk oxtail beignets, Mediterranean wedge salad, and a refined take on banana pudding.
Located at 117 S. Division Ave., a space dormant since a doughnut shop closed in 2016, Trust arrives as the neighborhood experiences a new wave of energy. Nestled near the Harris Building, hotels, shops, and entertainment venues, Hawkins plans to eventually expand into lunch, brunch, and late-night desserts.
But not yet.
As with everything else, he’s taking his time — building Trust exactly the way he intends.
