The Food and Ag Capital of the U.S. is... Chicago

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke on November 1 at the Grand Opening of Dom’s Kitchen & Market in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. Photo by Bob Benenson.

[Note: This article features Naturally Chicago Board member Jay Owen, co-founder and chairman of Chicago’s Dom’s Kitchen & Market. The article was originally published in the Local Food Forum newsletter.]

It’s what most of us in this region’s food space believe, and it’s what Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (above) said out loud at the November 1 grand opening for the new Dom’s Kitchen & Market store: “We have really become the food and agriculture capital of the United States.”

She continued, “We have companies that are international brands, like Mondelēz, like Kellogg. But we’ve also got smart, innovative startups, and the amount of resources that are available for these businesses to launch and be able to sustain is really off the charts…. I want to make sure that people know that our food innovation companies raised over $723 million in venture capital in 2021.”

I like to say that food is in Chicago’s DNA. It is the reason for the very existence of this city, which blossomed because its strategic location at the base of the Great Lakes and as an early railroad hub made it the nexus for the great Midwestern agricultural. “breadbasket.”

Echoing what the mayor said, I believe that the food and farming industries are a key driver, if not the key driver, for our region’s economic growth, and as a local food advocate, I am proud that much of the energy today comes from companies and producers that are committed to building a better-for-people, better-for-the-planet food system.

And it is why I wholeheartedly believe that food, with its power to drive economic development and recovery, must be a major part of the solution to the problems of our historically underserved communities.

I know a lot of the people who subscribe to Local Food Forum and the metrics tell me that many of you read it often, despite a pace of publication that some folks warned early on was excessive. So I suspect that I’m pretty much preaching to the choir here.

But change is slow and, despite progress, we have a long way to go in building the healthier, more sustainable and more humane food system that this country needs. I first said years ago that we can advocate until we’re blue in the face, but nothing will accelerate change faster than consumers increasingly demanding better.

So please keep voting with your dollars, persuade those you know who are persuadable, and support our local farmers, without whom none of this would exist.

Here are a few more pithy quotes from the Dom’s opening.

Dom’s Kitchen & Market Co-CEO Don Fitzgerald spoke at the Grand Opening of the company’s new store on November 1, as Co-CEO Bob Mariano, Chairman Jay Owen (a Naturally Chicago Board member) and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot looked on. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Don Fitzgerald, Dom’s co-founder and co-CEO

“We look to our vendor partners to inspire us with not only products, but great ideas of today's consumer. Their success is our success. And as a result, we have doubled the assortment that's in this building [from that of the first Dom’s store in Lincoln Park], and we look forward to continued collaboration… As we continue to grow Dom’s we remain true to our mission, which is to offer well crafted, locally sourced, globally inspired foods and an interactive environment, like this space right here, and generous hospitality that connects people to their community and to one another.”

Jay Owen, co-founder and chairman

“From the start, our view was that the consumer shopping basket is quickly changing. Increasingly, it's being split between chore shopping, so maybe the stuff that you don't really want to do, and meal-based shopping, which is the stuff that you really want to do. Dom’s was developed as an experiential approach inspiring people to eat and connect. Dom’s continues to redefine the neighborhood market into a place that inspires culinary discovery, helping people experience meals and foods they are excited to eat.”

Bob Mariano, Dom’s co-founder and co-CEO and retail grocery legend

“We'd love when you leave here to tell your friends about your experience. It's what matters most, what sets us apart. Customer service is our calling card and that's because we take pride in our people. They in turn take pride in their work, and you leave knowing we were you were served with a smile.”

This article was created by Bob Benenson and was first published in his Local Food Forum newsletter.