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.
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.
Carolina Sánchez
I have a shout—”
From Chicago Black Restaurant Week (Olivia Obineme)
This week on SSW Radio we talked about Chicago Black Restaurant Week, heard the daily commute of a South Side student dancer, and checked in with the Extraordinary Everyday Marriage Duo about how to make love work
Katie Hill
In early December, the Healthy Food Hub—a Black-owned agricultural cooperative—announced that, after nearly three years in South Shore, it would be moving its operations to Englewood’s Barbara A. Sizemore Academy.
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.
Christina Salesberry, a Hyde Park resident, was the runner up in the nut category of this year’s South Side Pie Challenge. She shared her recipe for “Black Bottom Pie, You Make the Rockin’ World Go Round” with the Weekly.
Teacher James Gordon (Courtesy of Englewood Speaks)
This week on SSW Radio, we spoke with a home baker, and heard holiday histories from Pilsen and stories from Englewood
Leslie Travis (Ellen Hao)
This chocolate cake recipe nearly has the consistency of a brownie—there’s dense, chocolatey goodness in each bite. I find it particularly great as the base for a winter pinecone decoration because the cake is so flat. Also, without those pinecones, this cake is a squat little thing, so the pinecone decorations and the cake are like in a symbiotic relationship.