Bohemian House enjoys early success despite competitive food scene

By Sarah Very and Sony Kassam Dan Powell and Markus Chwajol met late one night in a neurosurgical operating room. Little did they know they would become best friends and business partners – founding their own Bohemian restaurant and taking its annual revenue to $2.6 million in under two years. Embellished with brightly colored tiles and European-inspired […]

When Food Stamps Fall Short, Local Pantries Step In

St. Ignatius Food Pantry

By Anna Boisseau The well-stocked food pantry at St. Ignatius Church saw few visitors on Wednesday at the start of January. According to volunteer Anita Goldstein that is because, as patrons can only visit once a month, they generally come towards the end once Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and paychecks have run out. […]

South Side Diabetes Project Changing Nutritional Norms

South Side Diabetes Project Grocery Store Tour

By Anna Boisseau Passersby at an Auburn Gresham Save-a-Lot sport a mixture of confusion and annoyance as they squeeze past the small gathering of 10, who are listening to Mary Lucy, a dietetic technician, speak about the appropriate daily portion size for servings of fruit. “Bananas have a lot of sugar, right?” asks Gregory Thompson, […]

First Chicago Black Restaurant Week celebrates community and brings in new business

By Marisa Endicott The first annual Chicago Black Restaurant Week concluded Saturday. Seventeen restaurants from the city and suburbs participated in the event launched by social media specialist Lauran Smith. Smith chose the second week in February to correspond with Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month founded by Carter G. Woodson. “It […]

Food Insecurity Screenings to Expand to Chicago Suburbs

FRESH Truck from Greater Chicago Food Depository

By Anna Boisseau Cook County will expand a pilot nutrition program into a second health clinic in the Chicago suburbs in early February. Doctors first began the process of questioning pediatric patients about their access to food at the Logan Square Health Center in September. After the success of the initial program, the Greater Chicago […]