Slow Chicagoan Profile : Lisa Santos of Southport Grocery & Cafe

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If you look at the staff profiles on the Southport Grocery & Cafe website, owner Lisa Santos' profile stands out not just because it's the first one listed, but also because of her recognition that food and food experiences are intricately woven into people's daily lives. A former Slow Food Chicago board member, it's no surprise that Lisa runs her business by objectives that closely mirror our mission of good, clean and fair food for all. By supporting local farmers with a fresh + seasonal menu, giving an audience to the sweat equity of artisanal producers with their grocery, and preserving flavors of peak harvest to get you through the winter, Southport Grocery & Cafe is working hard to support and highlight the fruits of local laborers. Read on for more from Lisa about how they got started and why romaine beats kale as a popular and versatile leafy green.

What was the idea behind Southport Grocery & Cafe? How did you start?

We started preserving in 2009; the recession hit everyone and we needed to look at our expenses. We were shipping great preserves from California but the price plus shipping made the products expensive. We started preserving a handful of items that year and now do well over 75 from fruits preserves, pickles, condiments + soda syrups.

What would you be doing right now on a typical workday?

Planning! There is so much planning in this business; especially for preserving, what is available from the farms and when, staffing, new product testing, etc.

What's the best part about your job? The hardest part?

Well, I have two bests: one, coming up with something new that we are excited to share with our customers; and two, a great batch of preserves that started with the perfect fruit from a farm and the well balanced preservation process.

The hardest part of my job is the overall balancing act of food costs, labor costs, and competitive pricing.

The smoked fish plate available as a brunch option at Southport Grocery & Cafe in Lakeview.

The smoked fish plate available as a brunch option at Southport Grocery & Cafe in Lakeview.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago's food systems to overcome?

A challenging obstacle can be the City itself. There are a lot of small moving parts to operate a business here!

How does Southport Grocery's work relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, + fair food)?

Southport Grocery uses good, clean and fair food whenever we can. As a matter of fact, our preserves have won three Good Food Awards! I have to say, 'whenever we can' because we need to offer a competitive price to our customers in the end.

Favorite Chicago food related social media account to follow?

The Infatuation.

What do you think should be up next for trendiest food item - kale's successor?

I would like to see romaine be more on trend... it is chock full of nutrients and it is my favorite vegetable to grill! Grilling romaine adds dimension to any salad.

What wins - avocado toast vs. artichoke toast?

Avocado for sure... I love the creaminess!

A interior view of Southport Grocery & Cafe's dining and grocery options.

A interior view of Southport Grocery & Cafe's dining and grocery options.

Why Chicago? If not Chicago, where?

Chicago is a great city with a great food presence... we have been open for 13 years! It is amazing where Chicago has evolved to. And if not Chicago, NYC. I love that city... but I am pretty sure doing business there has even more moving parts!

Want to learn more about Southport Grocery and Cafe? Follow along via the links below.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram

Slow Chicagoans : Pear Tree Preserves + Hewn

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The Kirkwoods - Susie and Dieter.

The Kirkwoods - Susie and Dieter.

Ever witness the perfect marriage? Susie and Dieter Kirkwood are not only a married couple, but their passions also blend pretty well - slow food and slow fashion. Susie, of Pear Tree Preserves, crafts small batch preserves made with completely midwestern sourced  produce. Dieter, of Hewn, crafts minimalist bags and garments locally here in Chicago. The parallels between Slow Food and Slow Fashion are so intertwined and consumers are beginning to take notice. Luckily, if this crossover interests you - Susie and Dieter have got you covered! They will be joining forces for a pop-up at Boombox in Wicker Park later this month. (Keep an eye out for info about a opening celebration complete with sparkling jam mocktails.) From July 26th through August 1st, you can shop both of their "slow" wares. And if you're looking for more, there will also be a couple of workshops you can partake in - intro to canning and intro to leather craft, both available for purchase on the Pear Tree website (registration in advance is recommended). Until then, let's get down to it. Susie and Dieter share what makes their processes in both the food and the fashion worlds good, clean and fair.

What would you be doing right now on a typical workday?

Susie : By day I am a freelance graphic designer and I squeeze in Pear Tree wherever it happens to fit. So on any given day I could be sitting in a design meeting one hour then in the kitchen making jam or picking up bushels of fruit the next. I feel very lucky to be able to have that variety in my work.

Dieter : A typical studio day is a mix of designing, making, and research. Currently, it's the afternoon so I'd be working on new designs and prototypes. Sometimes that means drafting patterns on paper, other times working 3 dimesionally with materials. Most of my handbags/carrygoods start with quick form studies made out of whatever rigid material I have on hand and masking tape.

What's the best part about your job? The hardest part?

Susie : The best part about making jam is definitely the actual production. It's fun to make and it's fun to test new flavors. The hardest part for me is when I have to process the fruit (peeling, pitting, cutting), it gets very tedious and really tiring. I think pears and peaches are the worst - they are usually too soft to put through the apple peeler, so it's very time consuming.

Dieter : The best part of what I do is the working exchange between thinking and making. Design is about questioning, applying, and responding. For me, quality design requires understanding of the final use and knowledge of how that design can best be realized. There is no better feeling than sketching out an idea, engineering the best way to make it, then 5 hours later having a prototype in your hands. Executing each step in that process gives a great sense of accomplishment. Hardest part, which is also one of the most important, is in the editing. Since I currently produce all of the items for Hewn, there is a limited amount of resources and time to dedicate to a final design. So some tough decisions need to be made about which key details to focus on and which designs will be produced.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago's fashion systems (particularly in regards to "slow" + sustainable fashion) to overcome? How does this relate to any obstacles you are aware of in our food system?

Dieter : Number one would be infrastructure. Chicago lost most of the ancillary business, artisans and craftspeople that are vital to the overall fashion industry through United States policies and trade deals. Also, as with our food system, education is important. Both fashion and the food industry can be a resource intensive endeavor, knowing the real costs of the foods and fashions we as a society purchase can allow consumers to make choices that are better for the environment, others, and most importantly, themselves.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago's food systems to overcome?

Susie : I think the problems Chicago has are not unique to the city and I see lots of very passionate efforts to improve things. From the segregation in Chicago contributing to pockets of food deserts to the general disconnect between food and agriculture. We are lucky to have many great organizations addressing these issues with urban gardens for learning and job training and producing fresh food for these areas. I think there needs to be a shift in how people think of food costs. When you are a small producer, you see and experience what goes into producing good, honest products and realize that the cost is sometimes more than people are willing to pay.

What wins - avocado toast vs. artichoke toast?

Susie : I would be very happy if either of these items were placed in front of me.

Dieter : As Susie can attest to, I have a strong and visceral negative reaction to avocado, something about its' texture. So I'm in the artichoke camp.

What do you think should be up for 2016's trendiest food item - kale's successor?

Susie : Good question! Beets? I'm saying beets... only time will tell.

What is your favorite Chicago food related social media account to follow?

Susie : I love Pastoral Cheese's instagram, Cellar Door Provisions has super dreamy food photography, also Spinning J & The Logan Square Farmers Market has been pretty great lately... I could go on and on!

How does your work relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, fair)?

Susie : I relate to these objectives personally and in my business. Pear Tree Preserves uses only locally sourced produce, working seasonally and directly with the farms. It is made with love in small batches by hand and sold locally. I think of it as a collaboration with the midwestern growers. Personally, I have always loved to bake and cook and realize that those things are so much more fun, and rewarding using the best ingredients. We have a couple of chickens in our backyard for fresh eggs and some fruit trees, as well as veggies and herbs in the summer!

Dieter : Being married to a slow food producer and advocate has certainly informed the way I think about fashion and consumption as a whole. My former work in the industry followed the calcified and typical fashion playbook. We designed 2 collections a year, showed during NYC Fashion Week, adhered to the calendar that puts winter coats in stores around August and summer garments in February, and all the while felt a disconnect to the work and wearer. I'm now much more conscious and conscientious of how and why I produce bags and garments, focusing on smaller runs.

What local sources do you employ to create your pieces? Why is it important to you to source local (in fashion, in food, or both)? What sustainable practices do you employ to make your pieces?

Dieter : It's important to think about where and how the products we bring into our lives are produced. More important to sourcing local is sourcing quality (and here I mean quality in the final material along with consideration for the labour practices and resources used). To source local for local sake doesn't make much sense to me, luckily in my experience local and quality often go hand in hand.

The materials I use, which influence the design outcomes, are ones that I can see, touch, experiment, and engage with. So for instance, if I am going to work with leathers it makes sense to find local purveyors, such as Horween, since within 10 minutes I can be in their factory talking with the makers and seeing various options. By building a relationship with the artisans that produce materials, I get a better understanding of their properties, inherent beauty and qualities. This arrangement also has the added benefit of a smaller travel footprint of the materials that go into the final designs.

One of the facets of sustainability I focus on is longevity. By keeping longevity and functionality in mind, my aim is to create season-neutral bags and garments that emphasize permanence, an idea that runs counter to current mainstream industry thinking. "Fast fashion" is ubiquitous in our society and as a result clothes have become increasingly disposable. It is cheaper to manufacture impermanence for a throw away culture than to create garments made to last. This, coupled with the increased pace with which fashion trends are born and die due to social media gives the industry market incentive to create clothing with a limited lifespan. In response, I employ design elements with an expression of simplicity allowing the garments to remain viable as trends come and go. 

Why Chicago? If not Chicago, where?

Susie : I love Chicago, that pretty much says it all. Moving to the midwest from Florida was an adventure that changed my life. I feel right at home here and I am thankful that my son can grow up in such a culturally diverse and beautiful city!

Dieter : Both Susie and I are from Florida, and since moving to Chicago in 2001 have really taken to the cultural vibrancy and creative community of Chicago. There is an appreciation of quality food and design and so many opportunities to learn about and experience both. If not Chicago, then Japan. Japan has such a rich history and breathtaking landscapes.

Hungry for more? 

Keep in touch with Susie's preserve making here :

Website / Facebook / Instagram

And watch Dieter's fashion company, Hewn here :

Website / Instagram

Slow Food Chicago Member July Discount Partner Profile : The Chopping Block

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Slow Food Chicago Members have just a couple more days to wait before they can take advantage of the July Year of Slow Food member promotion for discounted pricing on any July or August cooking classes (booked in the month of July) at The Chopping Block. We had the pleasure of chatting with their Marketing Manager Andrea Miller to discuss how their classes help patrons get comfortable and gain confidence cooking for themselves at home. This, in turn, lends a little love to our Slow Food grassroots movement of promoting and advocating for food that is good for you, cleanly produced, and fair to all those involved in it's production. Here's Andrea!

What was the idea behind The Chopping Block? How did you start?

The Chopping Block opened at the original location in 1997 as an antique cookware shop and cooking school in a small cottage in Lincoln Park. Shortly after opening, Owner and Chef Shelley Young found that many of her customers needed assistance in selecting pots and pans and other kitchen equipment. The retail portion of the store began to grow as Young and her team of instructors started choosing the best equipment and ingredients for home cooks and carrying those items in the store. A mentoring style of relationship flourished between The Chopping Block and its students, who quickly saw the storehouse of knowledge available in the staff. The partnership worked, and in 2003, The Chopping Block opened its second location in Lincoln Square. The Lincoln Park location was moved to an 8,000 square foot space in the Merchandise Mart in Summer 2005, which greatly expanded the offerings of the school, including the ability to offer customized private cooking events for groups as large as 300 people.

What would you be doing right now on a typical workday?

We are always preparing for our next cooking class or private event. As one of the busiest recreational cooking schools in the country hosting an average of 300 classes and events each month, there's always something going on in our seven kitchens at our two Chicago locations.

What's the best part about your job? The hardest part?

The best part about working at The Chopping Block is being part of a team whose mission is to get the country to cook. We do that not only by offering cooking classes and private events, but by building a community around cooking through our website, social media outlets and instructional videos. Our staff sets up apart from other schools because they truly care about cooking. Shelley has a motto she lives by everyday. Her goal is to create a company environment that her employees' view as "the best job they have ever had."

The sluggish economy presents an interesting situation for The Chopping Block. While Americans are still tightening their belt on eating out, they are cooking more at home. So, while people may be hesitant to spend the money on a cooking class, they greatly value the skills learned at the class. We provide a service that helps people make better decisions about food.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago's food systems to overcome?

Getting quality food and education on how to prepare it for more people in need.

How does The Chopping Block's work relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, fair food)?

It's no secret that eating at home is less expensive, healthier and brings families and friends together at the table. It's focusing on those relationships that are created over food that we try to lead by example. We are constantly evolving to fit our customers' needs. With all of the different classes and events we do each month, it can be a challenge to engage each person that walks through our doors. But our staff excels at this! Whether a customer is attending one of our intensive Culinary Boot Camps or out for a fun date night, our goal is to listen to what they hope to get out of their experience and meet those expectations.

What surprising food item or cooking method do you think will trend in 2016?

Vegetables are stealing the show this year, and we've seen that by the popularity of our Clean Eating classes as well as the number of people who downloaded our free Clean Eating: Getting Started Guide.

What's your favorite food related social media account to follow?

It's so hard to choose just one! We love Food52, The Kitchn, Tasting Table and many more.

Anything else you'd like to share?

We also carry food-friendly wines and craft spirits at both locations, and we recently opened a bar at the Merchandise Mart. Stop by for Happy Hour on Tuesdays 4pm-6pm and enjoy select glasses of wines for $7!

Want to learn more and keep up with The Chopping Block crew? Follow along via the links below.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest 

Slow Food Chicago Member May Discount Partner Profile : Angelic Organics

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For Slow Food Chicago members, you have just a few days left to take advantage of May's Year of Slow Food member discount on programming from Angelic Organics. Read on below to get some insight into how Angelic Organics got started, and how they are fighting for good, clean and fair food for all.

The following profile is as answered by Angelic Organics' Associate Executive Director, Deb Crockett.

What was the idea behind Angelic Organics Learning Center? How did you start?

In the fall of 1998, the core group of shareholders in Angelic Organics Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm met for a week to dream about how to best respond to people wanting to learn from and about Angelic Organics. Farmer John Peterson wanted to support educational efforts on the farm, but needed to focus his own energy on growing vegetables. So, the core group decided to start a non-profit dedicated to food & farm education; founders Tom Spaulding and Neddy Astudillo packed their bags and moved to Caledonia from Chicago to launch the Learning Center as a non-profit the following spring.  

Since then, we’ve stayed true to our mission to build sustainable local food and farm systems through programs that change the way people farm and eat, so that the food and farm economy is healthy, green, fair and culturally-expressed. We offer various food + farm workshops, school field trips, summer day camps, and customized group programs on Angelic Organics farm. We facilitate urban farming programs in Rockford and Chicago (Englewood) that increase access to good food, growing opportunities, and entrepreneurial skills. We support the next generation of sustainable farmers through our yearlong Stateline Farm Beginnings training course, the Upper Midwest CRAFT farmer training alliance, and various farm financing programs. 

What would you be doing right now on a typical workday?

My days are so varied! This next week, I’ll teach a class for preschoolers and their parents, meet with community partners, evaluate our work, cook breakfast for our staff, do hive checks for our three hives, and address whatever other issues and ideas come forward from our talented and dedicated staff team. As much as the weather permits, I take my computer and meetings to the porch of our whole tree architecture building, with good views of goats, chickens, cattle and more! By the way, the pigs just went out to pasture today and are having a fantastic and comical romp in the field.  

What’s the best part about your job? The hardest part?

The best part is when people make a connection through a Learning Center program--with a farm, with their food, with another person, or with their own personal calling. You see this in hundreds of small transformations that lead to a larger impact: from a boost in a child’s self confidence after milking a goat, to a farmer who is able to finally leave their day job to pursue their dream.  The hardest part is that there is never enough time to do everything.  

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago’s food systems to overcome?

Quite simply we need more farmers connected directly with more people who want good food.  And, by “want good food” I mean people who understand the value of healthy, local, connected food and are willing and able to pay enough for their food that farmers can make a living wage while growing our very sustenance.  

How does Angelic Organics Learning Center’s work relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, fair food)?

The Learning Center considers "good food” as food coming from a sustainable local food and farm economy that satisfies a “Quadruple Bottom Line”, which we define as Economy, Equity, Ecology and Expression.  Another way of talking about it is that good food is healthy (meets the needs of our bodies and communities), green (meets Earth’s needs), fair (protects the rights of all workers and eaters and gives farmers a living wage), and culturally expressed (protects freedom of expression and culture).  

Our tagline is “Learn Grow Connect,” and this resonates throughout all of our programs and work.  We provide opportunities for eaters to learn skills to grow, get and prepare good food at three locations in Rockford, Chicago, and Caledonia.  Through our farmer training programs, we support beginning farmers in overcoming obstacles to farm viability, for instance, helping them to write a realistic business plan, to manage saving for a farm implement, or to connect with a mentor.  We always work in partnerships to more effectively share best practices, build community, and change culture, laws, or circumstances to favor the local food system.  We believe that people from all sectors of our food system need voice and opportunity in getting access to good food.  

What surprising homesteading hobby do you think will trend in 2016?

Using backyard plants for medicinal purposes: elderberry cough syrup, plantain poultices, and a variety of teas and tinctures from many plants.  

Favorite food related social media account to follow?

I asked my colleagues for help on this one, and their suggestions ranged widely: try The Sporkful (https://twitter.com/thesporkful), EatLocalGrown, Punk Domestics, Civil Eats, Food + Tech Connect,; Chicago Farm Report; Natural Awakenings

Is there anything else you’d like us to share about your business?

Come join us for an upcoming workshop or event!  Visit www.learngrowconnect.org/ to sign up for a skills workshop or event on Angelic Organics farm, or create your own experience through a customized program. We also encourage people to attend our Peak Harvest Farm Dinner on July 28 at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago. We will be honoring Rick Bayless & Deann Groen Bayless of Frontera Farmer Foundation. Guests will enjoy cuisine & cocktails made from locally sourced ingredients, live music, adorable farm animals, and special guests including emcee Monica Eng! Tickets & info can be found at www.learngrowconnect.org/farmdinner. We also offer numerous volunteering or job opportunities at www.learngrowconnect.org/jobs.  

Hungry for more? Catch up with Angelic Organics via the link below. And get in on the member deal here. Not a Slow Food member? Sign up here.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube 

 

Tomato Seedling Sale - This Saturday!

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Looking for something to do this weekend? We've got you covered. Slow Food Chicago's annual heirloom tomato seedling sale will return on Saturday, May 14th. A few of Slow Food Chicago's Board Members will be hanging out in Bang!Bang!'s (Logan Square location) pie garden starting at 9am with an abundance of heirloom varieties of seedlings available for purchase. Need some extra incentive to get your backyard gardens or patio growing spaces up and running? A purchase of 3 or more seedlings will get you a free made-from-scratch biscuit from the good folks at Bang!Bang! Sounds like your weekend is shaping up quite nicely...!

 

Join us this Saturday, May 14th, 2016 for our Annual Heirloom Tomato Seedling Sale at Bang!Bang! Pie Shop.

Join us this Saturday, May 14th, 2016 for our Annual Heirloom Tomato Seedling Sale at Bang!Bang! Pie Shop.

When : Saturday, May 14th, 2016 / 9am - 4pm (or until we sell out!)

Where : Bang Bang Pie Shop - Logan Square / 2051 N. California Ave (map)

What : Slow Food Chicago's Annual Heirloom Seedling Sale will feature dozens of different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, grown by master gardener and Slow Food Member, Judy Casten. A full listing of available varieties can be found here.

Cost : Seedlings will be available for purchase at an estimated price range of between $4-6 (depending on variety and size). Remember, if you purchase 3 or more seedlings, Bang Bang will give you a FREE BISCUIT! All proceeds to this sale support Slow Food Chicago.

May Day - The Historic Holiday of Fighting for "Fair"

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The following is a guest blog post written by Alexandria Boutros of the Food Chain Workers Alliance.

The first May Day "celebration" occurred on May 1st in 1886. Across the United States, over 300,000 workers across roughly 13,000 businesses walked off their jobs. In Chicago alone, at least 40,000 workers went on strike. Thus were the beginnings of the labor movement, continuing to this day (over a dozen decades later) to tenaciously fight for workers' rights.

Those of us who work in the food system, as farmers, farm workers, food service workers, or in supermarkets need to unite for good jobs, dignity, and justice from farm to plate. Slow Food's slogan is "good, clean, fair", and May Day especially is time where we highlight the "fair" part of Slow Food's Mission. May Day is meant to create an environment of anyone working in the food system to feel welcomed and appreciated. 

The Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA) also believes in the right of all communities to live, create and work with dignity, respect and equitable access to resources. From farms to restaurants, workers in the food industry are the lowest-paid sector of our economy.

One way FCWA is working to end the exploitation of workers is with the Good Food Purchasing Policy (GFPP).  GFPP’s purpose is to increase access to high-quality healthy food in communities and shift production practices especially when it comes to workers, by leveraging the purchasing power of major institutions. This national campaign is happening in several cities around the nation and is at varying stages. 

The potential in Cincinnati for instance, is very exciting since it can serve as a blueprint for other cities: A unionized worker-owned cooperative can plant, harvest, produce and supply the food to the city and its institutions. This food will be nutritious and grown organically and sustainably and with all of the standards represented by GFPP. In Chicago, the mayor has appointed a task-force to implement the policy, while the Chicago Park District has committed to run a pilot for this summer's feeding program. In San Francisco, a vote on May 10th can make the school district there the second to implement the groundbreaking policy, after LA. Meanwhile, momentum is building in other cities like NY, Oakland, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Slow Food chapters are key partners nationally and in many ways represent the food system we're trying to create!

To learn more about FCWA or to get involved visit them online via the links below.

Website / Facebook / Voices of the Food Chain (Video)

Slow Food Book Club Reads Silent Spring

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Hope you can join us this Thursday night for a thoughtful conversation at the April edition of Slow Food Book Club. We will be discussing Rachel Carson's game changing book, Silent Spring. First published as excerpts in the New Yorker in 1962, Caron's now historic text became known for it's influential activism that spurred revolutionary changes to environmental law. Today, we are still having many of the conversations posed by Carson in this text - primarily, how do we undo the damage that has already been done by our overuse of pesticides and insecticides while still ensuring that our planet is a safe and flourishing place to live for generations to come? Continue the conversation with us as we discuss this life-altering book at Pilsen's own plant and garden shop - Verdant Matter. We know this one can be tough to get through. Don't think you'll finish in time for Thursday night? Don't sweat it. You can still come chat with us amongst the plants! Attendees are encouraged to bring not only your fine self but also a snack and/or drink to share. 

Join Slow Food Chicago for a discussion of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring this Thursday evening at Pilsen plant and pottery shop Verdant Matter.

Join Slow Food Chicago for a discussion of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring this Thursday evening at Pilsen plant and pottery shop Verdant Matter.

WHAT : Slow Food Book Club : Silent Spring

WHEN : Thursday, April 28th, 2016 // 7pm-8pm

WHERE : Verdant Matter / 1152 W. 18th Street (map)

COST : Free to attend! Bring your own snack/drink to share.

 

Opening Volunteer Day at the preSERVE Garden Recap

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This past Saturday was the first preSERVE garden volunteer day of the season. In addition to prepping the beds, we got some seed potatoes into the ground. After a couple hours of getting some dirt under our nails and feeling the sun on our backs, we enjoyed a community meal. Thank you to everyone that came out, contributed their time (and sweat), and brought food to share. We are so excited for all that's to come this season. And if this weekend was any indication - it's going to be a good season.

Mark your calendars. The next volunteer date is May 21st (10am-12pm). Can't make the weekend work? This season, we're adding Thursday evening volunteer days. Join us on Thursday, June 23rd (5pm-7pm). Have questions? Want to RSVP? Reach out to Stefanie at slowfoodpreserve@gmail.com.

Slow Food Chicago Member Discount Partner Profile : The Spice House

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Being a member of Slow Food Chicago does not come without it's benefits. Thanks to Year of Slow Food - your membership becomes something more tangible that just a donation to a cause you believe in. Throughout the year, each month members receive new offers and discounts from local businesses, restaurants, farms, and purveyors emulating the Slow Food objectives for a good, clean and fair food system. This month's (April) member partner is The Spice House - run by second generation spice merchants, dedicated to grinding their carefully curated selection of imported spices in small batches which are then mixed by hand, often using family recipes to create some of their popular blends. Let's just say, if you plan on slowing down and cooking a meal from scratch anytime soon - these are the tools you'll want in your back pocket - high quality, thoughtfully sourced spices and blends from the pro's who have been at this since 1957. Read on for a peek into a day in the life of a spice merchant and get a sense for their dedication to an "old-fashioned" process - regardless of how "slow" it may be.

What was the idea behind The Spice House? How did you start?

We are second generation spice merchants, my parents began our store in 1957. Their goal, which follows through to today, was to supply our customers with spices of the highest caliber from the top sources of origin from around the world. Once imported, we grind the spices fresh in house. Once finished we hand craft our seasonings based on our old family recipes. 

What would you be doing right now on a typical work day?

Today we are grinding the most fragrant black pepper from the Tellicherry coast of India. Once ground, this will become one of the fresh ingredients in our bestselling blend, Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper, Butchers’ Rub.  We will take care of many customers, enjoying our talk about cooking.  I will also answer dozens of emails from other customers who are not so lucky to be shopping in store, where they can taste everything, but are instead shopping online. 

What's the best part about your job? The hardest part?

Being a spice merchant is absolutely the best part of the job. We love to experiment with flavors and create new blends. It was all pure and beautiful when we just had brick and mortar shops where we talked to our customers about cooking all day long. Then the internet came along, and that scenario changed. The hardest part is all the things we are forced to do that have nothing to do with being spice merchants. We recently installed a new POS system which has given us months of headaches because the gateways don’t all interface with one another. Balancing the budget, accounting reports, human resources, PR, SEO, social media and all the other jobs that are required to stay afloat in today’s world of e-commerce are a necessary part of our work day. 

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago's food system to overcome?

Food desserts still desperately need attention and further action on early initiatives. People everywhere need to have access to affordable, healthy food choices. The upscale neighborhood of Old Town, where one of our shops is located, has at least a dozen good grocery stores within a mile. Large areas like Bronzeville or Englewood have almost none. Kudos to Whole Foods for putting in a store in Englewood this year.  

How does The Spice House's work relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, fair food)?

We source the highest quality spices and herbs from around the world. Once imported, we take care to grind everything in house, in small batches of what we are anticipating selling in the next week or two. Once ground, the spices get mixed into seasonings by hand, again in small batches to ensure the ultimate in freshness. And the following week, we start all over again. Whenever possible, we try to support new initiatives by co-operatives in third world countries, who are trying to teach farmers a way to augment their income by introducing spice crops to their crop rotations. 

Here is a video of one of our blends, Chesapeake Bay Seasoning, being created. You can see how slow and old fashioned our blending process is!

The Spice House's curry powder blend.

The Spice House's curry powder blend.

What surprising spice do you think will trend in 2016?

I think we are seeing a great deal of interest in lost or extinct crops.  Crops that went out of vogue for some reason, now have piqued our interest.  There are some really devoted people focused on this, like Glen Roberts of Anson Mills. With the help of scientist David Shields, and his in-depth knowledge of seed banks and culinary history, they are able to work toward returning some lost legacies from ancient times to today’s farmers and chefs. I believe you call this a re-emergent cuisine. One can extrapolate that this will translate into the spice world as well. Ancient herbs are returning to the culinary forefront. And while thyme, rosemary, mint, lavender, have always been culinary herbs, they have never been more popular. If this is a trend, heirloom spices and herbs should also be on our radar. Trending upward over the past few years and showing no sign of slowing down, is turmeric, which has some pretty powerful medicinal properties. 

What is your favorite food related social media account to follow (outside of Slow Food Chicago, of course)?

I really enjoy the work of the gang at Serious Eats.  A really great local food forum which lots of great foodie chat is LTH Forum.    

Is there anything else you'd like to share about your business?

We were thrilled to be named to Food and Wine’s best spice shops in THE WORLD!  

Hungry for more? Follow along with The Spice House team via the links below.

Website / Facebook / Blog / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest / Newsletter Sign-Up

To receive the full 52-page Spice House catalog, email spices@thespicehouse.com.

Join us for a FIG Drinks Showcase

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Thursday night. It's the prelude to the big show (welcoming in the weekend after the five o'clock bell rings on Friday). But this week, Thursday night gives Friday a run for its money. This Thursday, the good folks at FIG Catering bring you the [belated] launch of their beverage program, FIG Drinks. Not only will you get a peek at at the drinks program (from punch to sustainable wines), but you will get the chance to nosh on delicious food (also from FIG, score!), as well as witness a cocktail competition (or if you prefer, showdown) between the FIG beverage folks and our very own Slow Food Chicago board member, Kim Werst. Kim will be bringing her homemade rum punch with quince and pear syrup. (Hello, yum.) If all that is not convincing enough, there will also be live music as well as spun tunes and the proceeds from your ticket will benefit your faves - Slow Food Chicago! Vote with your hard-earned dollars and show some support for your local Slow Food chapter, along with some stellar local Chicago businesses, and do some good while you get your drink on. See you there!

What : FIG Drinks Showcase

Where : Salvage One // 1840 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60622 (map)

When : Thursday, March 24th, 2016 // 6pm-9pm

Cost : Your $10 donation can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets. Proceeds to benefit Slow Food Chicago.

Slow Food Book Club : An Everlasting Meal

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Spring is in the air and with it comes the very first Slow Food Book Club of the year! March's food focused read is Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal : Cooking with Economy and Grace. With an introduction written by Slow Food champion Alice Waters, this month's read seems like a no-brainer. Tamar's dreamy and delicious writing will have you daydreaming of the upcoming farmers market season along with the locally sourced meals you are soon to create. Resourcefulness is also one of Adler's strong suits - with plenty of tips for stretching your sustenance dollars and making the produce and protein alike that you purchase earn its keep. Didn't finish the book? Read the whole thing in one night? Never heard of it? Whatever category you fall into - if you love to talk about food almost as much as you like to eat it, join us at Local Foods this Thursday.

What : Slow Food Book Club

Where : Local Foods / 1427 W. Willow St, Chicago, IL 60642 (Map)

When : Thursday, March 10th, 2016 / 6:00pm

Details : Join us for the first book club of 2016! We will be discussing Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal : Cooking with Economy and Grace. Food and drink available to purchase at Local Foods / Stock Cafe. But we definitely won't turn you away if you bring a snack to share with the group.

Cost : Free! Just bring yourself and some foodie-fueled conversation.

Slow Food Discount Partner Profile : Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks

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For members of Slow Food, you still have time to redeem your discounted order from February's partner - Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks as part of 2016's Year of Slow Food. Irv Cernauskas and Shelly Herman are on a mission to not only support local farms and farmers - but also to ensure that this fresh food is easily accessible to all. Read on to learn more about how they got started and why they keep fighting for good, clean and fair food for all.

What was the idea behind Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks? How did you start?

Our idea was to serve as a partner with local farms to increase the amount of local food reaching Chicago. Farmers often cited the challenges of marketing and distribution, and we thought if we could help on that, they could focus their knowledge and resources on increasing production. We started by visiting farms, and other similar businesses across the U.S. and Canada, then just diving in and "bootstrapping" our own savings and debt to build out our warehouse and website.

What would you be doing right now on a typical workday?

Every day we check in with farmers we know to find out what crops they have available and would be most helpful to their operations to sell to us. We also check our customer orders and make sure we have enough food lined up to fill them. And we make sure our staff has everything they need to get the work done, and help resolve any issues that come up.

What’s the best part about your job? The hardest part?

The best part of our job is the great relationships we have with the families who produce the wonderful food we deliver, and helping our customers make delicious and healthy choices. When farmers tell us how much the support they get from Fresh Picks means to them, and customers tell us how improving their diet has made them feel better, and that their kids are so excited when our deliveries arrive, it makes our day! The hardest part is when things don't go as planned. Like last Saturday, after the wind storm, ComEd lost power to our refrigeration and we had to scramble to protect our food. That wasn't a fun morning.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago’s food systems to overcome?

We have to recruit more Chicago residents, to help them see, and taste, the value of local food, and make it easy and fun to vote with their dollars for something better. We have a lot of very loyal customers, but we are just scratching the surface of the potential we see. Big national companies with giant marketing budgets and slick technology challenge our local food system for the attention of consumers.
 

How does your work relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, fair food)?

We are all about making it easy to act on those values.  It can be hard for folks to get to a farmers market or commit to a CSA membership, especially in the winter.  By offering convenience, choice and great customer service, we work to make it possible for more people to have good, clean and fair food a part of everyday life.  Even if they can't meet their farmer face-to-face every week, visitors to our web site can click through a product to see a page with pictures of the families who grow the food, where the farm is located, and descriptions of their practices.  That way they know where there food is coming from, and where their dollars are going, and can feel good about the choices they are making.

What do you think is in store for 2016’s trendiest food item- kale’s successor?

hmmm...my crystal ball says maybe aquafaba. Cauliflower and beef bone broth still seem to be going strong. We always sell out of the bones before any other beef cut!

Why Chicago? If not Chicago, where?

The Central Valley of California, after generations of unsustainable water and soil depletion, and often unfair labor practices, is potentially facing the end of a long run as the green grocer of the nation.  But with abundant water and fertile soil, and a great tradition of family farming, Chicago and our region has a great historical role to reclaim as a center of food production and distribution.  

Is there anything else you’d like us to share about your business?

It is a challenging world out there!  We need all of your members help spreading the word so we can keep on fulfilling our mission.  We are approaching our ten year anniversary and will have an Open House on April 10 at our facility (just off the Edens and Touhy Ave), and we would love to have people come join us to celebrate, sample some delicious chef creations and mingle with farmers.     

Hungry for more? Follow the Fresh Pick's team via the links below.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

Canning Series : Winter Edition Recap

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On Saturday, Slow Food Chicago Board Member, Kim Werst led a canning workshop at Kendall College. Participants learned about pickling, preserving, and even took home blueberry preserves they made themselves. Couldn't make it? Relive it via the photos below. Or get to it in your own kitchen with some of our favorite recipes. And don't forget to reference our favs, Pomona's Pectin for extra tips and tricks of the trade. There's truly nothing better than a fruity preserve to remind you of summer in the midst of a midwestern winter. 

****Please note - the linked recipes incorrectly state the use of "2 tbsp" of Pomona's Pectin. This should be adjusted to 2 tsp (as per the Pectin package instructions).****

 

Slow Chicagoan Profile : Lee Greene of Scrumptious Pantry

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Team Beaver Dam Pepper! John (the grower), Larry (the grandson) and Lee (of Scrumptious Pantry).

Team Beaver Dam Pepper! John (the grower), Larry (the grandson) and Lee (of Scrumptious Pantry).

There's been a lot of discussion (due to all the buzzing surrounding the upcoming election) about voting lately. Much like voting for a candidate, each time you go to the grocery store or farmers market or co-op, you are quite literally voting with your dollars. From the products you buy, to the stores or farmers you support, even to how you got there - each choice can have a butterfly effect on how our food system operates, often without us even realizing it. We cast our food votes daily - at every meal. Scrumptious Pantry is a business that I feel resonates deeply with this process. Founder Lee Greene, produces condiments crafted not only with care but with carefully selected heirloom varieties of ingredients. By putting only the best into the process - she gets products that burst with authentic flavors. And while I'm sure doing things Lee's way may seem at times like an upstream battle, the end product proves that it is something worth fighting (and voting) for. Read on for more about Lee, how her business began, and addressing the struggle to find balance between good, clean and fair all at once.

What was the idea behind Scrumptious Pantry? How did you start?

Well, I did my MBA in Milan and was blown away by the fierceness with which my friends debated the difference between a tomato grown in one town and the one grown five miles down the road. I had no idea food could create such passionate debates! Nor did I previously understand that, yes, five miles do make a difference. That intrigued me, so after graduation I joined a small Tuscan biodynamic winery – Cosimo Maria Masini - as their Managing Director. You can find their wines in Chicago, by the way. There I really understood the concept of terroir (or sense of place) and what it means to have a truly sustainable agricultural production. We had started selling our wines to Chicago with the help of our awesome friends at Candid Wines, so I spent quite a bit of time here hustling the wines. Consumer interest in food and its origins was beginning to grow, so I figured why not take the concepts of terroir, regional varieties and culinary history and create a food brand based on these values. So in 2010 my cats and I arrived in Chicago. We launched the first products showcasing domestic heirloom varieties in March 2011 at the Good Food Festival.

Scrumptious Pantry's beaver dam pepper product lineup.

Scrumptious Pantry's beaver dam pepper product lineup.

What would you be doing right now on a typical workday?

There is no typical workday. I might be visiting a farm and discussing some new heirloom crops to grow, developing recipes, doing a photo shoot, making sales calls or checking on our numbers. Accounting is the least sexy thing, but the most important. You gotta know your numbers!

What’s the best part about your job? The hardest part?

I love any type of event where I can meet customers and feed them samples. It is invigorating to see their eyes widen in delight and the best compliment is to hear “That tastes like *insert food memory*”. Touching people with food is very powerful, and that is where the chance for change lies. 

The hardest part is surviving. Unfortunately most of the food businesses dedicated to sustainable food are far from being sustainable from an economic perspective. It takes a lot of money to build a brand, serve the retail customers, keep inventory on hand... Consumers might think “that is expensive” if they see a jam or sauce or what not on the shelves in a store at $5.99. But rest assured – no one is making a killing on that. You need various levels along the distribution chain to get the product to customers. Back to the $5.99 example - to break even as a business that sells their products with an MSRP of $5.99, you have to sell 1,000 units a day. 365 days a week. For products that are not consumed several times a day (like bread, meats, dairy, produce), it is almost impossible to only serve a local market. You need to have a much wider customer base. And that takes a lot of time and money to build.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago’s food systems to overcome?

We are very lucky here in Chicago, we have such a bounty surrounding us. The fruit, veggie and dairy farms are plentiful. The cheesemakers amazing. We even have local fish in the Great Lakes. And then there are all these talented food artisans and chefs creating beautiful interpretations of the ingredients. It is truly a celebration of the Midwest. 

But we still have ways to go to make these experiences accessible for more people. Right now we are stuck: there are a few niche customers that are willing to pay the premium that it takes to make better food, but they are not enough to really impact the cost of the food. After all, it is a market: more demand leads to more efficiencies and better tools and that leads to lower cost, at which point more consumers can access the market. There are a great number of people working on solutions: collaborative structures, food hubs… Those are crucial if we really want a good, clean and fair food system. 

Scrumptious Pantry is a Chicago based company committed to showcasing heirloom ingredients.

Scrumptious Pantry is a Chicago based company committed to showcasing heirloom ingredients.

How does Scrumptious Pantry’s work relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, fair food)?

Scrumptious Pantry is about the true flavor of food - that is why we are highlighting heirloom varieties in our products. If you have great tasting ingredients, you do not need any additives to make up for the lack of real flavor. Ingredient lists of processed food started to read like a science project, because there was no more flavor in the raw materials once we turned to mass-produced agriculture. If you adjust varieties for ease of cultivation, uniformity, shelf life… There is a round-up on how flavor was bred out of the tomato on our blog. It was not done intentionally, flavor was just not the priority anymore. (http://scrumptiouspantry.com/loosing-flavor-why-tomatoes-dont-taste-they-way-your-grandmother-remembers/)

So by going back to real flavorful ingredients, and celebrating those flavors, you’ve got good and clean. Growing food with flavor takes time and dedication, and is often more risky than relying on hybrid varieties. You got to be a fair partner to the farmers, if you want good product. Plus, I am on the lower end of the totem pole myself. I’d like to be fairly treated and be able to sell my product for a price that respects the work that went in to it. You cannot really ask for fair treatment of yourself and then disregard the fair treatment of your partners.

What do you think is in store for 2016’s trendiest food item- kale’s successor?

I wish we would stop running after food trends. They are distractions from actual food education. Or maybe we can make food education the next trend? 

Why Chicago? If not Chicago, where?

I came to Chicago because it’s truly the heartland. As I mentioned before, there is such a bounty here for sourcing and of ideas. From a business perspective as a consumer good New York is the place to be though. That is where the opinion leaders and the influencers are that reach the nation far and near. As well as the money. It is almost incestuous, but boy, they are successful in creating launching pads for new brands.

What is your second favorite Chicago food related social media account to follow? (Can’t be first, because of course, SFC is your first favorite.)

I love to follow what my fellow good food entrepreneurs and cheer them on. IF I had to choose one it would probably be Mike and Anne at Sauce & Bread Kitchen/Coop-Sauce/Crumb Bread. They tell so many great stories, and their pictures of their food makes me hop on my bike and pedal from Logan Square to Edgewater, so I can enjoy their creations to the fullest.

Want to follow along with Lee and keep informed about updates at her business? You can find more Scrumptious Pantry via the links below.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram 

Slow Food Chicago Cooks for #77Proud

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This past Saturday, members of the Slow Food Chicago Board participated in the #77Proud Financial Resource Fair at the Bernhard Moos Elementary School - presented by the Chicago City Treasurer Kurt Summers and hosted by LUCHA Chicago. Board members Kim, Maia, Katie, Beth, and Molly all pitched in to provide a free meal for attendees by cooking soups made with mostly midwestern and thoughtfully sourced ingredients. Heidi also brought along a few Kendall College student volunteers to help us get set up. Here are a few memories and photos from the day. 

Feeling inspired and looking to make your own soup at home? Here are a few recipes from the day.

Slow Food Chicago Cooks for Soup & Bread

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Soup & Bread will be held at The Hideout on Weds 1/20/16 starting at 5:30pm.

Soup & Bread will be held at The Hideout on Weds 1/20/16 starting at 5:30pm.

Mark your calendars, folks. Next Wednesday (1/20), you have quite an opportunity. Not only will you have the chance to eat some delicious soup and bread (as the name should imply) - but you will also be able to support an amazing community meal project. If you aren't already familiar with Soup & Bread, it's a free weekly community meal hosted (for its eighth year) at The Hideout Chicago. Not only that, but this donation based meal meet up uses the give-what-you-can donations received each week to support local food pantries and hunger relief agencies (think Greater Chicago Food Depository and beyond). The Soup & Bread season officially kicked off for 2016 on January 6th. Next week, on the 20th, not only do you have another chance to participate in this unique and rewarding event - but the food (well, at least the soup) will be supplied by members of the Slow Food Chicago board. That's right, we're cooking for you. So come on out to the Hideout next Wednesday - fill up on soup, and bread, and maybe even grab a drink from the bar; all while knowing that you can feel good about where your meal came from, the love and labor that went into it, and revel in the difference your donation could make (no matter the size, it counts) at local pantries and agencies. And maybe, just maybe, you can learn a little bit more about what we do at Slow Food in the process (you know, aside from make amazing soups). Hope you can join us!

What: Soup & Bread // Soup to be provided by Slow Food Chicago. Bread donated by Publican Quality Meats. The bar will also be open with beverages available for purchase!

Where: The Hideout // 1354 W. Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60642 (map) 

When: Wednesday, January 20th, 2016 // 5:30pm-8:00pm

Cost: Free, with suggested donation. 

Slow Food Discount Partner Profile : Chef Chris Davies of Homestead on the Roof

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Chris_Davies.jpg

The new year is just about upon us. And with another month, comes another local discount partner for Slow Food Chicago members. By becoming a Slow Food member, you are not only showing your support of a good, clean and fair food system - but you are also opening yourself up to being connected with a growing community of those who share your interest in food, the environment and local purveyors who also support this grassroots movement. One of the most tangible ways this sense of connection comes to light, is with the Slow Food Chicago chapter's Year of Slow Food. Recently launched on our website, Year of Slow Food rewards you with a year-round schedule of member discounts available for each of the upcoming 12 months in 2016.

This January, as we enter a new year, members will receive a discount off their total bill at West Town's very own farm to table restaurant, Homestead on the Roof. We had the pleasure of speaking with the restaurant's executive chef, Chris Davies. Read on to learn more about the operation of this rooftop garden restaurant - and to learn what Chef Davies thinks might be kale's successor for trendiest food item of the new year.

What was the idea behind Homestead on the Roof? How did you start?

The idea behind Homestead on the Roof was to bring a unique farm to table experience to the heart of Chicago. The concept is based around our 1,000 square foot garden on the roof and our close relationships with local farmers and artisans.

I started as a Chef de Cuisine in May of 2014. Upon our chefs departure, I slid into his position.

What would you be doing right now on a typical workday?

It could really be anything from prepping for dinner service, menu planning, communicating with various farmers or it could be various office work.

What's the best part about your job? The hardest part?

The best part about my job is definitely teaching and training the staff, watching them grow and surpassing even their own expectations. 

The hardest part of the job is the multitasking aspect of the job.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Chicago's food systems to overcome?

I feel the biggest obstacle still relies in educating and empowering the citizens who might not have the resources to always obtain healthy and nutrient rich food.

How does Homestead on the Roof's work relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, fair food)?

I have always been a big believer in purchasing locally and supporting local charitable endeavors and farms.

What do you think is in store for 2016's trendiest food item - kale's successor?

Seaweed or sunchokes.

Why Chicago? If not Chicago, where?

I moved here with my wife in 2009 (she is from the south suburbs). If I wasn't in Chicago, I would probably be living in a smaller city such as Portland (where I am from) or Louisville.

Second favorite Chicago food related social media account to follow? (Can't be first, because of course, SFC is your first favorite.)

Chicago Food Game... it is run by a friend of mine, Corey Nunn.

Hungry for more? Catch up with Chef Davies and the Homestead on the Roof team via the links below.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter 

Want in on the discount action? Learn more about becoming a member here. See the full calendar of Year in Slow Food steals and deals here.

Slow Chicagoan Profile : Jen Moore of Meez Meals

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The following is a guest blog post by local Chicago writer and illustrator, Emily Torem.

It's that time of year. Life gets - well, busy. And sometimes, even thought you might not like to admit it, our hectic lives (whether during the holidays or not) might get in the way of slowing down to enjoy a quality, healthy, fresh cooked, or even locally sourced meal. Meez Meals founder Jen Moore realized that working parents, busy people and practically everyone in between could relate to this struggle. Her idea, to found a company which delivers prepped and pre-measured ingredients to homes all over Chicago helps scores of busy folks slow down and sit down to a delicious dinner each night with friends and family. Moore's facility is one of the prized few in Chicago to be a Certified Green Restaurant Association location and her mission helps connect subscribers with their food, the people around them, and being present in a fast paced world - something that speaks to the very core of the Slow Food Chicago mission. Read on for our interview with Jen and to learn more about how Meez Meals is helping it's Chicago members reconnect with mealtime. As we close out the year, many of us had the pleasure of gathering with family and friends around a communal table to enjoy a meal together during the holiday season. With the help of companies like Jen's, this act of slowing down and enjoying your food can become habit the whole year through.

How did Meez Meals come about?

I was working in brand management at Unilever when my sister and I were talking about dinner, and what a challenge it is. We grew up with a mother who cooked dinner from scratch for us every night, and we both loved cooking. But as a working mom with a small child at home, my sister said that preparing dinner wasn't any fun anymore. She didn't want someone to cook for her, she just wanted someone to do all the prep work.

It was like a lightbulb went off - that was a business that should exist. So, I left my job in marketing to start Meez!

How do you come up with Meez Meals recipes? 

Our recipes are all fun and creative, typically with a twist on a classic to make it healthier, faster or just a little unexpected. This means that cooking with us is always a culinary adventure, and dinner is more fun than just cooking up your same mental inventory of recipes.

To develop the recipes, I work closely with our chef, brainstorming twists on recipes I've discovered in my own cooking, favorites from his personal repertoire, requests from members, articles we've read, restaurant menus we've tasted. Basically, any place we can get ideas, we do!

How does your work with Meez Meals relate to the Slow Food objectives (good, clean, fair)?

Most people love the idea of cooking dinner from scratch. They know that there's something special about it, but it's just too hard for so many of us because of the realities of life. After long hours at work, helping the kids with homework, getting laundry in, dinner just seems to fall to the bottom of the priority list. I founded Meez to help make it possible for people to do what they've been wanting to: enjoy sitting down to a meal they cooked themselves.

So many people go to the grocery store each week with great intentions of cooking dinner and buy all the necessary ingredients, only to find that they don't actually feel like cooking, and much of their purchases end up spoiling before they get to them. Or, they have an entire head of cauliflower and the recipe only calls for half, and they let the other half go bad before they use it up.

As a certified Green Restaurant Association location, can you walk us through how you got this certification and some of the green aspects of your business?

We reached out to the Green Restaurant Association for our certification 2 years ago. In our first year, we were certified as a 2-star green restaurant. And then this year, we achieved the 3-star rating. (We're just 1 of 10 organizations in Chicagoland to meet this level, and we're proud of our achievement!)

Some of our "green" efforts include:

-Composting food waste - Meez Meals takes a proactive stance in reducing waste by composting kitchen waste and adhering to comprehensive recycling activities, including donations to local food banks.

-Reusing delivery containers - Meez Meals reuses its insulated cooler bags every week. Through its personalized delivery service, previously used coolers are collected each week to be cleaned and reused for future deliveries.

-Meatless meals - A large number of Meez Meals are meatless, which translates to lower carbon dioxide emissions and water usage, making it a smart choice for the Earth and personal health.

-Cage-free chicken and responsibly fished seafood : Our recipes which do include meat use only hormone-free, cage free chicken and responsibly fished seafood.

-Water and electrical efficiency : Meez Meals uses low-flow plumbing fixtures and energy-saving features in it's production facility.

-Local, routed deliveries : Meezl Meals delivers to a 1,000 square-mile area around Chicagoland in efficiently routed deliveries, minimizing the carbon footprint to deliver meals from it's facility.

-Sourcing local : We work with local suppliers, particularly for our produce. We stay in regular contact about the produce market, what's had a good crop, where we need to adjust our recipes, etc.

Obviously you appreciate the importance of sitting down to a meal and communing - two things that Slow Food is all about. Can you explain why this is important - so much that you created a business model around it?

Research abounds that families that sit down and eat together end up happier and healthier. Beyond those studies, though, we all know something special happens when families slow down and take time together. The challenge in this day and age is getting folks to slow down. We've found that when the house has been filled with wonderful smells of food cooking, when someone has taken some time to prepare the meal, people are just more likely to sit down together and talk. Dinner becomes about more than the food. It's an occasion and a time in your day to be savored, not rushed through.

Hungry for more? Follow Jen and the Meez Meals crew via the links below.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Blog 

 

Slow Food Chicago Board Alumni Profile : Waleed Al-Shamma

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Time for another Chicago Board Alumni Profile. Today we bring you a glimpse into the "slow" lifestyle of former board member Waleed. Perusing his profile, it becomes clear that he lives the good, clean, fair mission on both professional and personal levels and we couldn't be more impressed by his contributions as a board member and beyond. And on the heels of board member applications being due, it seems appropriate that we give his efforts to revamp the board recruitment process an honorable nod today. Read on to understand why his definition of access to "good" food can even include that scrumptious pain au chocolat you may have found yourself indulging in this morning...!  

Why did you join the Slow Food Chicago board? How did you learn about it and what motivated you to get involved?

I joined the SFC board shortly after I moved to Chicago. I had been involved in reviving a dormant chapter, Slow Food Western Mass, and I knew this would be a good way to meet like minded people and help grow the local, sustainable food movement

What project or initiative are you most proud of during your time with Slow Food Chicago? 

I worked on a lot of great projects during my tenure on the board, but I am most proud of my work reinventing the board recruitment process. It's not sexy, but it's crucial to the development of our organization and it's paid big dividends with some great board members who replaced us!

What are you up to these days?

I still work daily to help grow the local, sustainable food movement as best I can. I started LOST Foods (Local Organic Sustainable Traditional) six years ago to help local farmers and producers, who are committed to improving our food system, to grow their businesses. And for the past two years I have been working for Natural Direct - a local distributor in Chicago that has been committed to distributing Organic and/or all natural, locally produced food throughout the Chicago area since 2007.

Does Slow Food still impact your work, life, eating habits? Tell us more!

The idea of Slow Food is still very much alive in my everyday work, life and eating habits. Lamentably, I have not had time to attend nearly as many SFC events as I would have liked to over the past few years. But I keep in touch with some board members, new and old as best I can and I am as committed as ever to the principles of Slow Food.

Good, Clean, Fair. What does this mean to you?

Good food is pleasing to the palate and healthy for the mind, body and/or soul. The "or" is important, because unhealthy food can still be good in moderation - like charcuteries or pain au chocolat!

Clean food is ideally Organic and grown, raised or produced in a manner having a positive to neutral environmental impact. In processed foods, clean means being able to eat each ingredients by itself.

Fair food recognized those hardest working men and women among us who grow, raise and harvest the food we eat. This recognition must include a middle class wage, a broader appreciation of the importance of their work and the humane treatment and dignity that we all deserve, regardless of citizenship.

What advice would you give people who want to get more involved with Slow Food? Where can they start?

I would advise someone to spend a year attending SFC events and getting to know a few current board members. Slow Food means a lot of different things to different people and it's important for potential board members, or active volunteers, to get a sense of how well represented their values will be in the work they will be doing.

Anything else you want to tell us that we missed?

Keep up the good work!

Follow Waleed's Good, Clean and Fair lifestyle on Instagram (@walshamma).

Slow Food Chicago Board Alumni Profile : Jennifer Polk

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The deadline for Slow Food Chicago Board Member positions has come and gone. But that doesn't mean you missed out on your chance to get involved and join this powerful movement. In an attempt to inspire you to take that first step, we bring to you another board member alumni profile. Today's dose of encouragement comes in the form of some insights and reflections from past SFC board member Jennifer Polk. Jennifer began as a preSERVE garden volunteer and her participation grew from there. As you will see as you read on - the influence of Slow Food on her personal life also blossomed (pun intended). To give you a preview - as her passion for the Slow Food movement grew, so did it's impact in her personal life - as she graduated with time from a few sad containers of plant growth on her back porch balcony to a robust backyard garden. Read on for more food for thought from Jennifer!

 

Why did you join the Slow Food Chicago board? How did you learn about it and what motivated you to get involved?

I got involved in Slow Food Chicago through the preSERVE garden partnership in North Lawndale. What appealed to me about preSERVE was the hands-on aspect of the work -- building a new food-production garden in a neighborhood with a strong community gardening history. As a gardening novice, I wanted to learn more about planting food crops -- and the opportunity to get my hands dirty in a space larger than the few sad containers on my sunless back balcony was a bonus! Through my volunteer work with preSERVE, I decided I wanted to get more involved with Slow Food Chicago at the board level.

What project or initiative are you most proud of during your time with Slow Food Chicago?

I continue to be most proud of the preSERVE garden, particularly the partnerships and relationships we've nurtured over the garden's five growing seasons. preSERVE is a collaboration between the North Lawndale Greening Committee, the Chicago Honey Co-op, Neighborspace, and Slow Food Chicago. Each organization adds something essential to the success of the overall project.

What are you up to these days?

I still go to as many volunteer workdays at preSERVE as I can - and now I also drag my husband and new baby daughter along! Never too early to learn about Slow Food!

Does Slow Food still impact your work, life, eating habits? 

Absolutely. Once you get involved with Slow Food, it becomes a way of life! From that first sad container garden, I've graduated to a pretty robust backyard garden with five raised beds. I'm also a farmers market junkie and a home canner.

Good, Clean, Fair. What does this mean to you?

To me, it's a vision of the ideal world I want to help create for my daughter -- a place where nourishing, delicious food is available for everyone, and all those involved in its productions are treated fairly and with the respect they deserve.

What advice would you give people who want to get more involved with Slow Food? Where can they start?

Come volunteer at the preSERVE garden! Ok, so I am a bit biased, but I truly think it's the best way to get started. You can help with almost every aspect of the Slow Food meal -- planting the seeds, tending the crops, and helping with the harvest. You'll take home a bag brimming with the freshest produce, and feel the satisfaction that comes with having participated in the creation of your meal from start to finish!

Anything else you want to tell us that we missed?

I'm proud to have been part of the Slow Food Chicago board - it was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone who wants to make a difference in the food world, in Chicago, and beyond.