City Council Boosts Chicago Urban Growers
Also, learn about The Abundance Setting's 3 Chefs 3 Moms program application
Chicago Urban Growers May Now Sell Onsite
Supporters of urban agriculture in Chicago gained a major victory last week when the City Council passed the Urban Agriculture Business License Enhancement Ordinance.
Under the measure, community gardens and urban farms that apply for and receive a produce merchant license are now able to sell whole, uncut and unprocessed produce directly to community residents, restaurants, food stores and wholesalers from an on-site produce stand.
The legislation was a collaborative effort, Initially proposed last December and introduced by the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protections (BACP), co-designed by the city’s Food Equity Council, and supported both by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Brandon Johnson, her successor.
"The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of our food system and the inequities embedded within it,” said Johnson, quoted in the press release below. “Urban agriculture has the potential to create a more equitable and resilient urban food system and supply food insecure residents with healthy and abundant options. The passage of this ordinance increases the potential for urban agriculture to build local wealth, support Chicago’s local economy, and increase access to local fresh produce across the city.”
The ordinance will provide an additional revenue stream for existing urban farms and may incentivize others to develop new urban farms. It also has major potential to address the crucial issues of food equity and food sovereignty by enabling small urban farms to grow and sell produce directly to their neighbors.
And in more great news for our urban farming community, the city announced Monday that 18 farming organizations are recipients of the first round of financial awards in its Community Growers Program. Click here to see the list of awardees, who will share in a $2 million pool of funds.
Local Food Forum congratulates the City Council and other supporters for these important measures, which will build upon the major progress over the past decade in building a robust urban farming sector in Chicago.
The ordinance press release, in its entirety, is below.
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CHICAGO — Today [June 21], the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance to support the business activities of urban agriculture. The Urban Agriculture Business License Enhancement Ordinance, which was introduced by the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protections (BACP) and co-designed by the City’s Food Equity Council, will reduce barriers that exist for growers to sell their produce to local neighborhoods.
With these changes, community gardens and urban farms that apply for and receive a produce merchant license are now able to sell whole, uncut, and unprocessed produce directly to community residents, restaurants, food stores, and wholesalers from an on-site produce stand. The Urban Agriculture Business License Enhancement Ordinance creates a pathway for more viable business models while also providing access to healthy produce to communities across the city.
"The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of our food system and the inequities embedded within it,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Urban agriculture has the potential to create a more equitable and resilient urban food system and supply food insecure residents with healthy and abundant options. The passage of this ordinance increases the potential for urban agriculture to build local wealth, support Chicago’s local economy, and increase access to local fresh produce across the city.”
“The ordinance enhancement will make positive, long-term impacts on the health and well-being of Chicagoans,” said BACP Commissioner Kenneth J. Meyer. “By addressing the need for urban agriculture licensing, we are taking the necessary steps to ensure growers are recognized and supported as small businesses, while at the same time, consumers have access to fresh, locally grown produce for their families.”
Chicago’s first-ever Food Equity Council is a cross-sector collaboration to create an equitable local food system by addressing immediate needs and the root causes of food and nutrition insecurity, including reducing barriers to urban agriculture.
"This small change has the potential to significantly impact Chicago's nutritious food landscape,” said Viviana Okakpu, Co-Operations Steward for Advocates for Urban Agriculture and co-lead for the Food Equity Council. “By allowing community focused growers to be compensated for their labor, we can continue to chip away at the health and environmental inequities in our neighborhoods through culturally relevant food while honoring the work it takes to produce it."
“After 20 years of advocacy, Chicagoans who grow food now have the opportunity to build economic food sovereignty by being able to establish businesses with a legit license,” said Erika Allen, Co-founder of Urban Growers Collective. “Being able to sell food that is grown at the community level recognizes the importance of these economies and is a significant advancement for urban agriculture and food access. We hope that this encourages local production at a time when shortening supply chains for food is good for business, the environment, and our public health.”
The 2023 annual report outlines other successes of the Food Equity Council, including the Community Growers Program. Designed in partnership with the City of Chicago Food Equity Council, the program is a $2 million investment in urban agriculture with the goal to increase food equity in communities with a history of disinvestment by encouraging the development of urban agriculture sites by local growers.
This support for urban agriculture in communities with limited food access will provide residents with more options for accessing fresh produce, while also creating wealth-building opportunities for growers. To learn more about the City’s commitment to food equity and the Food Equity Council visit: chi.gov/foodequity. BACP ensures a fair and vibrant marketplace for businesses, workers and consumers in the City.
Abundance Setting Seeks Applicants for Mentoring Program
If you are a working mother in the hospitality industry, do not miss the opportunity to apply to participate for the six open positions — three each in Chicago and Los Angeles — in The Abundance Setting’s 3 Chefs 3 Moms mentorship program.
The Abundance Setting is a Chicago-based non-profit that “encourages and supports the advancement of women and working mothers in the culinary & hospitality industry to have a thriving career while maintaining a quality life at home.” The mentee applicants selected to participate in the 3 Chefs 3 Moms program will be guided by six of the nation’s leading women chefs.
Chicago
Tigist Reda - Chef/Owner of Demera
Diana Davila - Chef/Owner of Mi Tocaya
Sandra Holl - Chef/Owner of Floriole Bakery
LA
Stephanie Izard - Chef/Owner of Girl and the Goat
Katianna Hong - Chef/Owner of Yangban
Mary Sue Milliken - Chef/Owner of Border Grill Restaurants
Yes, that’s the same Stephanie Izard who played a major role in the rise of Chicago’s Restaurant Row on Randolph St. when she opened Girl and the Goat in 2010. While that restaurant and Stephanie’s other Chicago creations (Little Goat Diner, Duck Duck Goat, Cabra) continue to thrive, she now resides in Los Angeles overseeing that city’s iterations of Girl and the Goat and Cabra.
Over the course of five weeks this fall, each recipient receives:
Program orientation with a mentor chef
Shadowing in the mentor chef’s kitchen with a coaching session
The opportunity to dine in the mentor's restaurant with a guest
A chef-prepared family meal dropped off at your home
A final potluck with all mentors and mentees together
Each applicant must share viable references, past three jobs, zip code of residence to ensure they are either in the Chicago or LA area, job title, personal work aspirations, and number of children.
Click the button below to apply, and/or share with any working mother in culinary who you believe would benefit from the program. Click the second button below to read more about The Abundance Setting.