Dom's On Trend As Chicago Reopens
Dom's On Trend As Chicago Reopens
Banking that buyers desire a return to in-person shopping experiences
In This Issue
• Tuesday’s Chicago Metro Farmers Markets
• Dom’s Kitchen: Grand Opening During Reopening
• Vegan Paradise: Heavenly Plant-Based Market
Today’s Chicago Metro Farmers Markets
Wednesday, June 9
Weather.com forecast: Partly cloudy, high 77
Accuweather.com forecast: Clouds and sun, t-storm possible p.m., high 77
Andersonville Farmers Market, 1500 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Elmhurst Farmers Market, 541 S. York St., Elmhurst, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Garfield Ridge Farmers Market, 6072 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Green City Wednesday Market, 1817 N. Clark St., Chicago, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Palos Heights Farmers Market, 12217 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ravinia Farmers Market, Jen Jensen Park, Highland Park, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Riverside Farmers Market, 10 Pine Ave., Riverside, 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Uptown Farmers Market, W. Wilson Ave. & Broadway, Chicago, 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Dom’s Kitchen: Grand Opening During Reopening
It was no ordinary grand opening when Dom’s Kitchen and Market opened its doors Tuesday on the border of Chicago’s Lincoln Park and Lakeview neighborhoods. Speakers (and ribbon-cutting participants) included Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Aldermen Michele Smith of Lincoln Park and Tom Tunney of Lakeview.
A big part of the draw was that Dom’s co-founders are Chicago food retail royalty with ties to Dominick DiMatteo, who founded the late, lamented Dominick’s supermarket chain. Bob Mariano was an innovator who rose to CEO under DiMatteo, then later created the Mariano’s stores during his stint as CEO of the Milwaukee-based Roundy’s chain. Jay Owen — who as managing partner of DOM Capital Group has invested in a number of food businesses — is DiMatteo’s grandson.
Their decision to move ahead on the cutting-edge project also is a statement of confidence that a new normal is at hand. After more than a year of COVID-instigated shutdowns, social isolation and food delivery, Dom’s Kitchen and Market is predicated on a belief that people are once again eager for in-person food experiences.
The well-designed and atmospheric store on the southwest corner of Halsted and Diversey is an interesting mash-up: part scaled-down grocery/adult beverage store with an emphasis on sustainably produced foods (the selection will look familiar to those used to shopping at Whole Foods Market), part upscale grab-and-go convenience store, and part food hall with five stations and a coffee bar that at night also sells beer, wine and cocktails.
What you won’t get from Dom’s, at least at this early juncture in its life, is delivery. The whole idea of the place is to get you in the store and be tempted by all the options available.
Mariano explained the “brick and mortar is here to stay” philosophy behind the project at FamilyFarmed’s Good Food Financing & Innovation Conference in February, at a time when it was still uncertain when Chicago would be able to achieve a full post-pandemic reopening.
"My view is it's critical to establishing the brand,” Mariano said. “People still want to have that opportunity to come to a facility, to have a piece of education going on. Teach me about new food, teach me about wine, teach me how to pair this cheese and this wine with this type of fruit... So the trip to the store is not a trip of drudgery. It's a trip of excitement, interest and learning."
And the timing of the grand opening couldn’t have turned out better: Lightfoot spoke during the opening ceremony and made it official that the city will fully reopen for business on Friday.
Local Food Forum will soon sit down with Dom’s Kitchen’s leaders for an in-depth discussion of this new retail model.
Vegan Paradise: Heavenly Plant-Based Market
This article was submitted by Kevin Lilly of Bubbly Dynamics, which hosts Vegan Paradise at The Plant.
Vegan Paradise is Chicago’s first completely vegan farmers market. And in March, Vegan Paradise — produced by Chicago Vegan Test Kitchen (CVTK) — also became the first farmers market in the region to open its 2021 outdoor season, in the large farm space at The Plant in the city’s Back of the Yards neighborhood.
People came out from throughout the South Side, as well as from as far as Wisconsin and Indiana, to purchase everything from vegan meals to cruelty-free products to fresh organic produce from their favorite vegan businesses.
There's an old phrase that can best describe the origins of Vegan Paradise, and that is “necessity is the mother of invention.” Nena Ramirez, then working as a bartender for Emporium Logan Square, saw a huge need that led her to create Chicago Vegan Test Kitchen.
First, she saw a need to feature local plant-based businesses that did not have the means for a brick-and-mortar location. Next, she saw Chicago had a lack of diversity when it came to BIPOC (Black Indigenous and People of Color) owned vegan businesses and wanted to feature more of them.
Lastly, she realized how inaccessible other prior vegan pop-ups had been for both vendors and attendees. Out of this necessity, Chicago Vegan Test Kitchen was born and started by holding events in Emporium. These events soon grew in popularity, and they started to also build a very dedicated fanbase.
In 2020, the world as a whole was going through major changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For CVTK, there was very serious concern that all the momentum Nena and her team worked tirelessly to build would ultimately be in vain due to forces beyond their control. Participating businesses had relied on catering events that were no longer happening, creating additional stress.
Yet even as the global crisis changed daily life around us, a golden opportunity to continue the vegan pop-ups arose. Ironically — or maybe it was karma — it would come in a space that was once home to a meatpacking factory.
Nena connected with Bubbly Dynamics, owner/operator of The Plant, the small food business incubator focused on closing loops of waste and energy. They agreed that the outdoor yard was well suited to address the challenges created by COVID. With indoor gatherings being unlikely for the foreseeable future, the ability to hold outdoor events was key, and Vegan Paradise was quickly launched.
As the weekly markets started, the base from the Emporium days continued showing up, and the new South Side location exposed the market to a new audience. Some newcomers initially came out of curiosity and soon became regulars after trying food from vendors such as Libby’s Corner, Ste. Martaen, Vegan Street Food and many more; new vendors, some who had never participated in a market, joined in as well.
After its first successful season, the market is back for its second year running on Sundays from April to Halloween (with a few weeks off during the season) and is part of a full day of programming at The Plant.
Vegan Paradise operates on Sundays at The Plant, 1400 W. 46th St., Chicago from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The market is open this Sunday through June 27, July 18-September 5, and September 26 through October 31.