CHICAGO MARKET
HARVEST CO-OP POP-UP MARKET

The fifth in our series of successful Pop-Up markets will take place very soon, at The Village Tap in Roscoe Village, from 2:30 to 5:30pm on Saturday, September 24.

You can meet and shop with wonderful local farmer/producers including Burton’s Maplewood Farm, Tempel Farms Organics, Mint Creek Farm, Windrose Flowers, Seedling Fruit, Chopbox/TeaSquares, Bow Truss Coffee Roasters, Sitka Salmon Shares and more. Our friends at Collective Resource will provide and teach us about compost and recycling services, and once again we’ll invite contributions to Care for Real, an innovative food pantry in Edgewater.

There is no entry fee, but an RSVP is required.

RSVP HERE

CHICAGO MARKET’S ARCHITECTURE PARTNERS, Part II: “FRESH PERSPECTIVES”

In our August newsletter, we introduced the first of two architectural firms that Chicago Market has chosen to partner with for our store design and build-out. This month, we announce our second partner and our team is complete: Minnesota-based freshArc. Chosen for its expertise in the food industry, freshArc will collaborate with Wrap Architecture, the Site Selection and Architecture team, the board of directors and Owners to create the store of our collective dreams!

John Hatzung, LEED, AP, NCARB, freshArc principal, sat down with Owner #148 and writer Annette Mambuca to round out our two-part story.

Chicago Market: In fact, it was your design expertise and knowledge about all things food and co-ops that led to the invitation to collaborate on the store layout of the Chicago Market. Given that, take us on a quick tour of your career.

John: It started more than 30 years ago, when I was with a design-build firm and a former associate asked me to design restaurants. I really enjoyed the work, mostly because I enjoyed creating spaces for people to gather and enjoy good food.

Eventually the restaurateur stopped building, so I shifted to building energy-efficient homes. From there, I found an opportunity with the architecture department of SuperValu Inc., an industry-leading grocery retailer. I spent 16 years there, designing a variety of food stores, from large and medium-sized chains to mom-and-pop stores. I learned a lot about the food business and its complexities. And it was there that I began to be drawn to the idea that the best food stores are the ones where people truly come together to interact with the products and one another.

I left SuperValu to join a firm that specialized in food processing plants and food distribution, where I learned even more about the food system and how all the component inter-relate.

Chicago Market: What specifically led you to open your own firm?

John: freshArc grew out of conversation with P.J. Hoffman, who is now the Business Development Director at the National Coop Grocers Association. We were both concerned about the competition food co-ops face from sophisticated natural foods retailers. My partner, Paul Hannemann, and I wanted to bring the advantages and efficiencies of successful chains to non-traditional markets so they could be more competitive.

Chicago Market: Given all your store-design experience, what distinguishes your approach to a chain grocery store versus a co-op like Chicago Market?

Read more!

READ IT & EAT

Newsletter contributor and Owner #838 Maia Welbel stopped by recently and shared this great review of Read It & Eat: Chicago’s only “culinary bookstore,” dedicated entirely to food!

Chicago Market Owner #690 and former board member Esther Dairiam has created this special and wonderful new space. Inspired by a similar bookstore she once visited in Paris, Dairiam is committed to filling her shop with unique products and delicious experiences. Currently stocking 4,000 volumes and 3,700 distinct titles, most of the books at Read It & Eat are single copy. While customers seeking popular cookbooks are likely to find what they’re looking for, Dairiam also likes to share things that people haven’t come across anywhere else. She notes that online recipes and videos may have become ubiquitous, but they can’t replace the tactile experience of a physical cookbook.

Nor can they build community, but Read It & Eat is designed to do just that! The store’s layout includes a full kitchen complete with a double oven and plenty of shiny counter space. They hosts book signings, cooking classes, demonstrations, and pop-up dinners. Dairiam says her rule of thumb is that there should be good food involved at every event. Bookcases can be reconfigured to accommodate tables and chairs, transforming the store into a perfect spot for group gatherings.

The shop has become a destination for visitors to the city and locals alike. Stop by and say hi to Esther, who is often at the store. Check out the shelves full of colorful photographs, recipes, stories and breathe deep: more often than not, the air inside is filled with the aroma of cookies baking, olive oil sizzling, or fresh herbs and spices.

Read It & Eat is located at 2142 N. Halsted in Lincoln Park.

OWNERS MEETING —
BUILDING OUR COMMUNITY

Chicago Market’s second annual Owners Meeting on August 28 was an occasion for our community to reflect on the tremendous progress we’ve made, the biggest goals ahead of us this year, and of course to share good food, drink and conversation with each other as we continue to build our honest food community. Thank you to all who attended, and especially to all those who volunteered and helped the event run so smoothly: Lizzy Appleby, Sara Calfee, Patricia Connolly-Crespo, Carolyn Kessler, Rona Pietrzak, Maria Rasche, Terri Reardon, Ann Scholhammer, Eric Wilson and Chicago Market's board of directors. We also thank partners Brobagel, Bow Truss Coffee Roasters, Collective Resource, First Financial Credit Union, Forbidden Root, Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine and Ravenswood Event Center.

We’ll share a recap email shortly with all co-op Owners – meanwhile, enjoy some pictures of the fun!