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Calling All Locavores: Chicago’s Local Foods Grocery Store

Caitlin Reynolds
This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at DePaul chapter.

My interest in local products all started when Cheryl Muñoz from Sugar Beet Food Co-Op in Oak Park spoke to my hospitality class. Cheryl talked about the process of starting the Co-Op and showed us this video about the benefits of supporting the Locavore movement.

Never hearing “Locavore” it immediately sparked my interest. I had to learn more about it and wanted to find a smaller, mom-and-pop shop to buy my groceries. What I found was this hidden, foodie hub, housing hand-picked and carefully sourced products fit for all foodies.

Locavores, Chicago, Local Food

Local selection of cheeses. Always changing based on their vendors. Photo by Caitlin Reynolds

Located off of North Ave near Kennedy Express way (1427 W. Willow St.), Local Foods’ team of experts bring the freshest produce, breads, dry goods, and meats to one central location. Each item reflects the close relationships made between local farmers and store operators. If you are a real food enthusiasts and love to discover what kinds of products fellow foodie entrepreneurs are creating right in your backyards, you have to stop in.

 

 

Changing variety of seasonally, carefully selected produce. It is always a fun surprise to see what to choose from and base your dinner menu off of what’s on the shelves. Photo by Caitlin Reynolds.

It’s scary to think about the hundreds of hormones that may be injected into our everyday diets. I know I have seen the abnormally sized produce or non-organic milks that seem to last for half a year at certain grocery store chains. My goal isn’t to scare anyone, especially if you are like me and live on limited funds or have to have that box of double-stuffed Oreos in their cabinets at all times (cough cough..me). What Local Foods and other Co-Op’s, like Sugar Beet, seek to do is get locals connected to the community.

Local Foods offers customers a selection of artfully cut meats from The Butcher & Larder. On the opposite counter you can visit Stock Cafe where freshly baked pastries and seasonal dishes are created by in-house kitchen staff. Photo by Caitlin Reynolds.

We can be intuitive-smart consumer by supporting our local food producers. In the process, we cut the travel time it takes for us to get fresh, chemical-free food as well as we build relationships with our farmers. Get connected to your community, and discover what is local at Local Foods!

 

Caitlin Reynolds

DePaul '16

"It all started with a food blog..."That's honestly what I hope to say one day when I am in London talking to a customer that ventures into my Cafe & Bakery inquiring about my culinary journey. Moving on from my wishful thinking about the future, let's talk about the past and where this passion for food all started. My memories from the kitchen, like many other stereotypical foodies, began with my grandmother. Growing up, my parents were overwhelmed with the crazy hours of residency as doctors and would ship us off to Woodridge, New Jersey to my grandparent's house for the summer. What I remember the most is my love of coffee at age four (which probably explains why I was such a spastic child...I was wired up on caffeine all the time!). Every morning I can remember my grandpa-mac making his Columbia roast and setting some aside for me in my little sippy-cup with some sugar and ice. This caffeine fix at such a young age, I swear, is what inspires me to find that perfect latte every morning. My grandmother, on the other hand, was the master in the kitchen and exposed me to my love of baking, mainly with her famous butter cookies and Irish soda bread. Now for the present. Who are this caffeine-addicted, cookie-loving person with these big dreams and a passion for food? My name is Caitlin Reynolds, I am a senior Hospitality student at DePaul University. I am a native to Cleveland, Ohio, but fell in love with the city of Chicago the second I made the six-hour drive with my dad to tour college campuses. Living in the city, I quickly realized the potential to experience a culinary adventure and expand my palette with visits to numerous diverse neighborhoods of Chicago. But who wants to wine and dine alone! That is why Spoon University is a great way to share these gastronomic adventures with other epicures beginning a food journey across Universities nationwide.