Statue-Worthy Opening for Daley Plaza
Plus, the What'sGood video digs deep on the need for a robust local food system
Daley Plaza Market Got Off to a Blazing Start
As always, the famed sculpture by Pablo Picasso loomed over opening day at Daley Plaza Chicago City Market in the Loop on Thursday (May 12). Otherwise, it was a brighter, much warmer and less COVID-burdened opener than the one a year ago. More about that and lots of photos below, but first…
Why a Robust Local Food System is a Must
Matt Tortora of WhatsGood and I really dig deep about the wide-ranging benefits of local food — and the major flaws of the dominant conventional food system exposed by the pandemic — in our latest What’s Good About Local Food video.
Key takeaways include how local food’s short supply chains and lower use of expensive fuel and chemical inputs have been both a crucial safety net against market disruptions, and a bulwark against the raging inflation that has sent conventional supermarket prices skyrocketing.
Our conclusions, in a nutshell, are that the efficiency of the industrial food system over decades masked an underlying fragility that has been exposed to the detriment of many consumers, and that we the people — and our government officials — need to help local producers expand their production in order to ensure that food is always in ample supply for all.
It’s a little long because we got on a roll, but we hope you’ll stick with it and share your own thoughts in the comments or at bob@localfoodforum.com.
Springing Into Market Season With Summer Heat
Daley Plaza City Market, managed by Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), has been a fixture at the heart of the city for more than 40 years. So after COVID restrictions prompted the city to scrap the 2020 season, there was relief when the market re-opened in May 2021.
It was a little less than a celebratory atmosphere, though. The market was held on a cloudy and unseasonably chilly May 27 and restricted to half the plaza by a construction project. Attendance was very light as the ongoing pandemic kept most workers at home and kept Chicago’s Loop looking a bit like a ghost town.
What a difference a year makes. Despite opening two weeks earlier, on May 12, the market was bathed in sunshine and the only weather challenge was a blast of unseasonably hot temperatures. The market sprawled across the full plaza with about twice the number of vendors as on opening day 2021.
And there was even an official opening ceremony with remarks by Jennifer Johnson Washington, DCASE’s first deputy commissioner; Ruby Ferguson, food equity policy lead for the City of Chicago and Greater Chicago Food Depository; and Janie Maxwell (photo below), executive director of Illinois Farmers Market Association.
A D.J. provided musical entertainment that drew support from a volunteer breakdancer.
I enjoyed the opportunity to say hello to Maya-Camille Broussard, founder/owner of Justice of the Pies bakery, who is a nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s national Best Baker award that will be presented at the Lyric Opera House ceremony on June 13. Maya is an acquaintance of several years from her participation in the Good Food Accelerator, a program of my former employer FamilyFarmed.
Despite the mini-heat wave, the influx of seasonal crops remains slowed by the long stretch of chilly and rainy weather that preceded it. Asparagus, always the first major farmed crop to hit the market, is finally abundant, and there was a rhubarb sighting. But most of the brilliant colors at the market came from the hothouse heirloom tomatoes grown by Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois) and the beautiful tulips and lilacs splashed around.
Daley Plaza Farmers Market is located at 50 W. Washington St. and will be open every Thursday through October 27 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Now Get Out There and Support Local Farmers!
If you could use a reminder of the growing number of markets that will be open this weekend, please click here to check out the schedule that ran in Monday’s issue of Local Food Forum.
Have a glorious weekend!