Phoenix Bean Tofu Rises Farther

Sen. Durbin joins ribbon-cutting for new production facility in Chicago

A Cut Above

Photo by Bob Benenson.

There are ribbon cuttings, and then there are ribbon cuttings that signify that a longtime friend has taken a big step forward in a local business that promotes better for people, better for the planet principals.

The latter occurred this morning as Jenny Yang, president of Chicago’s Phoenix Bean Tofu, held the official opening for her new production facility just down the block from the company’s headquarters in the Edgewater neighborhood.

The plant is filled with customized equipment imported from her native Taiwan. It will allow Yang to greatly increase her capacity and purchase more soybeans from regional farmers, fulfilling a commitment that enabled her to obtain a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to build the facility.

The event drew none other than Illinois U.S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin, whose office greatly assisted Yang and her team in navigating some challenges in the USDA’s grant-making process and enabled them to bring this business-building project to fruition. (Durbin and Yang are holding the big ceremonial scissors at the ribbon cutting.)

I can’t pretend to be objective about Jenny Yang. I first met her during my early rounds at Green City Market after Barb and I moved to Chicago and at the first FamilyFarmed Good Food Expo events that I attended and where she was an exhibitor. In 2014-15, Jenny was in the first entrepreneur cohort of FamilyFarmed’s Good Food Accelerator, started by Jim Slama, the organization’s founder.

But even if we weren’t longtime acquaintances, I’d still be enthusiastic about her products, which include tofu in plain, flavored and fried varieties; delicious and popular tofu salads; fresh tofu noodles; newly introduced tofu-based dips; and soy milk. Since the first time I tasted her products, I’ve said that it is the only tofu I’ve eaten that has a flavor profile of its own, with a distinctly vegetal taste.

Her products are marketed under the Phoenix Bean brand and also the Jenny’s Tofu label at Whole Foods Market stores. A full list of where you can find their products can be found by clicking here.

Here are some more photos from today’s event, including a primer on how tofu gets made. Congratulations and wishes for much success to Jenny Yang and Phoenix Bean.

Jenny Yang describes her business experience and her products to Sen. Durbin and other guests prior to the ribbon cutting. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Jenny Yang and Sen. Durbin. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Raw soybeans. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Jenny Yang and her Phoenix Bean team converting a former taxi garage into this state of the art tofu factory. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Soybeans are first soaked in water. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Soybean curd is then separated from soy milk. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Soybean curd has coagulants added to enable it to be pressed into blocks. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Okara, a soybean curd residue, is separated out and sold to farmers to use in their livestock feed. Photo by Bob Benenson.

These pressed and cut blocks of tofu are headed for the fryer. Photo by Bob Benenson.

---

Follow Local Food Forum on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram