- Michael Gebert
- Founder Andrew Lutsey addresses visitors at Local Foods.
Chicago food media went gaga when the news broke that David Chang would be doing a pop-up of his New York hipster Chinese chain Momofuku at the Publican after the James Beard Foundation Awards are held here. I’m as happy about it as the next person, but something that will have a considerably greater and longer-lasting impact on our food scene happened on Wednesday and, while it drew a nice crowd of farmers and restaurateurs, I was one of only a few food mediaoids to turn out for it. It was a walk-through of the 27,000-square-foot Local Foods distribution center, and retail and dining operation, being built on Willow near Elston (and slated for a mid-May opening, though, like most construction sites, it looks pretty raw two months out). Local Foods, which has been innovating farm-to-table food distribution for a couple of years now (see this piece from last April), is about to take it to a much more consumer-focused level—think an Eataly of local meat, produce, and things you can eat (and then buy to cook at home) on the premises.
- Michael Gebert
- Abra Berens in her future cafe
One question which I knew would impact me and others I know: Would the Butcher & Larder continue to serve lunch? As it turns out, not only will they do that but all of the products passing through the building, from fruit and vegetables to meat and grains, will be shown off in a cafe which will be run by Abra Berens, who has been a cook in many locally focused kitchens, as well as a farmer in upstate Michigan for the past few years. (You can learn more about her in her episode of Key Ingredient, from 2012.)
