Food

Food Issue 2018 | Nature

Stewards For the Land

Some of the farmers behind the city’s newer generation of cooperative farms

by 7 months ago 1 Comment

Siena Fite

Instead of being rural and vast, these farms are a couple-acre lots enclosed by major streets and railway lines. Instead of shipping produce long distances, these farms serve their local, South Side communities. Instead of owning the land, these farmers tend to it with their community in mind. Instead of using a top-down structure of organization, these farms are cooperative, owned equally by the farmers themselves and the City of Chicago. These are cooperative farms, the new crop of urban agriculture on the South Side.

Agriculture | Features | Food | Politics

A Lot to Lose

After the near-sale of a community garden in West Englewood, questions arise about what it takes for gardens on the South Side to stay afloat.

by 7 months ago

Courtesy State Rep. Sonya Harper

How’s the community garden doing?” That’s a question that 6th District State Representative Sonya Harper asks in most of her meetings with the city of Chicago, just for good measure. The city’s response to Harper is usually that the garden is doing fine, and that nothing’s changed.

Food

Room for Community

Why South Side coffee shops offer more than the usual fare

by and 8 months ago

Kusanya Cafe (Amy Qin)

It’s a quiet afternoon at Kusanya Cafe on 69th and Halsted, with a few people chatting over hot mugs of coffee or working on their laptops. The exposed brick walls give the space a stripped-down feel, but with colorful paintings and large windows that let in lots of natural light, the room feels warm and homey. Though the atmosphere and decor are mildly reminiscent of a café one might see in Uptown or Lincoln Park that serves infused lattes for five dollars, a quick glance at the menu hints that Kusanya isn’t a North Side transplant. A grilled mozzarella sandwich named Mozz Def and a ham panini named Ham Master Jay—plays on the names of rappers Mos Def and Jam Master Jay—indicate that Kusanya’s roots are firmly planted here in Englewood.

Education | Food

Scraps to Sustenance

How sustainability organizations help CPS students reduce food waste

by 10 months ago

Courtney Kendrick

When Illinois House Bill 5530 was passed in July 2016 and became a Public Act, many educators and cafeteria workers were unaware that excess cafeteria food could legally be donated to food pantries and homeless shelters.