Tell us your names – as well as who else shares your fridge.

We’re Rachel Simon and Tex Pasley, Owner #1575. We share our home and hearts (but not our fridge) with our two cats, Virginia Woolf and Bell Hooks.

What motivated you to become Owners of Chicago Market?

After spending almost all of our 20’s moving around the country, we recently set down roots in Uptown—right around the time Chicago Market announced it would be moving into the Gerber building. We believe deeply in ethical food consumption, sustainable living and community engagement, so it seemed like a no-brainer to invest in our local food co-op––especially with such a convenient location!

What type of work do you do?

We are both lawyers, currently clerking for different federal judges.

Is there something new you’d like to learn or pursue…either now or someday?

Our legal jobs keep us busy, so it’s important to find balance in our lives and to create space for other, more creative interests. Rachel (a former actor/director) loves catching theater shows around the city, while Tex (a former craft brewer) enjoys sampling the wares in Chicago’s local beer scene. We are hoping to venture into art classes this spring and summer as well.

Do you have a favorite food or “signature dish”?

We love Asian food generally and are very excited for our first trip to Japan later this year. Rachel has become skilled at making sushi (and makes a mean stir-fry), while Tex is currently looking to expand his fermenting repertoire with experiments in homemade miso.

What’s your ‘one wish come true' for Chicago Market? It might be a product for our shelves, a program you’d like to see us offer, a location – you name it!

We love being part of an economically and culturally diverse community in Uptown, and we really hope Chicago Market can be an accessible and affordable store where everyone in the neighborhood feels welcome.

What three words best describe you?

Rachel: Easy. Breezy. Beautiful.

Tex: Thirty. Flirty. Thriving.