Local Foods retail store in Chicago

The Promise of Local Foods’ New Chicago Retail Store Is Right In Its Name

Local Foods, a Chicago distributor of local and regional farm and artisan food products, has opened a 27,000-square foot store not far from the city’s downtown. It is carrying produce, dairy, eggs, and meats from farms in the Midwest region centered on its biggest city, along with fresh, frozen and packaged foods from top regional artisans — and is considered a big step forward in local food retailing by advocates of the Good Food movement.

Local Foods Chicago retail store

First Person: Top Chicago Butcher Envisions New Heights in Move to Local Foods Store

Rob Levitt of The Butcher & Larder began his culinary career with the aim of becoming a top chef. But he developed an expertise in charcuterie that ultimately piqued his interest in the art of butchery, and four years ago, he and wife Allie opened the Butcher & Larder and quickly developed it into one of Chicago’s favored spots among meat lovers. Now they are preparing for a big step up.

Mark Schulman, president of Eli's Cheesecake

Eli’s Cheesecake is Sweet on the Good Food Movement in Chicago

Eli’s Cheesecake has been serving up its sweet treats in Chicago for decades. As a local artisan producer that uses as many locally produced ingredients as possible, Eli’s has a prominent place at the Good Food movement’s dessert table. But the company’s commitment to expanding economic opportunity and social welfare through food is much broader than that.

Good Food Accelerator
Farmer Gene Mealhow of Tiny But Mighty.

Whet Your Appetite for the Upcoming Good Food Festival & Conference

The schedule for this year’s 11th annual Festival & Conference, which takes place March 19-21 at the UIC Forum on the campus of University of Illinois at Chicago, has been released. We hope the details will whet your appetite for the event and persuade you to join this celebration of the fast-growing Good Food movement.

Farmer Gene Mealhow of Tiny But Mighty.
Michael Bashaw, Whole Foods Market Midwest President

More Tips for Farmers Market Savings

Our previous article on stretching your dollars at farmers markets drew a lot of interest. Even better, it drew several comments — shared here — that are loaded with even more great money-saving ideas.

Those tips are shared here.

Chicago Market logo

First Person: Building a food co-op — and positive change — in Chicago

by Grant Kessler, FamilyFarmed.org Grant Kessler is a food photographer and local food marketing consultant in Chicago who serves as marketing director for FamilyFarmed.org’s annual Good Food Festival and Conference. He also is a member of the team that is developing Chicago Market, a food co-op rooted in the principles of the Good Food movement. Read more about First Person: Building a food co-op — and positive change — in Chicago[…]

Whole Foods’ New Produce Ratings: Transparency Bears Fruit

[Note: This article was also published on Civil Eats, a journalism site that covers sustainable food issues.]

Whole Foods Market (WFM) is again at the forefront of the movement for greater transparency in food production and processing with its new comprehensive ratings system for fresh produce and flowers.