As part of the Black History Month, an entrepreneur on Saturday offered the place to the owners of other black small businesses in his west suburban grocery store, giving them an opportunity to reach a place – and opportunity – more potential customers.
Melody Winston, senior executive of the Living Fresh Market, located in the forest park in the neighboring city of Oak Park and Elmwood Park, said that his store often serves as a launching point for minority vendors who are looking for a foot in the market.
Christine won/ pioneer press
Betty for Berivin’s 63 -year -old Betty Fadrister, Left, Livingfresh Market, a barbecue sauce sample, on February 17, 2024 at Forest Park. Fresh Markethosted Black Vendors to celebrate Black History Month in Grocery Shop.
Christine won/pioneer press
Melody Winston, Senior Executive of Living Fresh Market, take a sample of a tea February 17, 2024 at the store in Forest Park. Living Fresh Market hosted Blackwenders to celebrate Black History Month at the grocery store.
It is a matter of pride for him and the living fresh market, which he describes as one of the largest black -owned grocery stores in the US in 71,000 square feet,
“We help get the product for the shelves,” Winston said. “Once they come here, they can reach any store. It starts here. ,
Mitchell Foods Company’s Michelle Hokins was serving his syrup samples on Saturday.
The mystery of Michelle Food’s multi-military syrup business began in a garden kitchen in the 1800s, when the owners asked the US Washington, a free slave, who recalled the entrepreneur, who came up with jaggery options.
Washington Hawkins had great, great, great-grandmother, who came up with a recipe that was handed over to generations in his family. Hoskins said that she was going through divorce in the 1980s, trying to find her life and pray for her three daughters, when her mother gave her a family recipe.
“I used to pray that I would sell 12 bottles in a month. Now I sell 12 bottles per minute, ”said Hoskins. “We started with three materials and now we are at 10,000 stores across the country.”
This year, Mitchell Foods, established in 1984, celebrates its 40 -year anniversary.
“We rarely get awareness,” said Hoskins. “It is nice to stand here among our colleagues.”
The incident in the Living Fresh Market also spotted Stephanie Heart, a Black Entrepreneurs such as the chef Dominic Leach of the Lexington Betty Smokehouse, and Stephanie Heart, the owner of the brown sugar bakery – which was seen by Vice President Kamala Harris living in Chicago in 2021.
In the incident of a grocery story, Hart said, “You are not going to highlight black entrepreneurs everywhere.” “That’s why I am here.”
For leach, who graduated from Pakistan school in 2006 and has a background in fine dining, his journey in entrepreneurship in 2017 after leaving his job in four seasons began with his own food truck.
“I was never going to receive respect,” he said. “So I did it for myself.”
On Saturday, the customers of the grocery store got to sample entrepreneurs, some were licking their fingers and coming back for seconds.
Berwin’s 69 -year -old Betty Farister said that she comes in the market once or two a week. After trying the relay’s ribz BBQ sauce, he grabbed a bottle and put it in his car before continuing to shop. After minutes, she sent her husband, Emmet back to another bottle.
“So many black entrepreneurs, which I did not hear, had not heard.” “It prouds me.”
According to Winston, this was the point of the event: to raise awareness about black businesses and to connect minority entrepreneurs to customers.
It is his father, Rev Bill Winston, the founder and pastor of the Living Word Christian Center, a Chikagoland Magachchrach, who acquired the living fresh market in 2021 through his auxiliary One Park Plaza.
Winston said that his father “actually pursue entrepreneurship.”
Living fresh market will host monthly events in its ongoing attempt to support small vendors and testing products and consumer response. In addition, the store also aims to promote healthy life with more vegetarian and plant-based foods.
In search of more healthy, overall products, Winston sampled a tea from the tea company of nature in Saturday’s incident.
An Easter egg hunting is planned for March.
Living fresh market is now in the process of opening second place in Mewood next year. But first, it will open a community market inside the One Park Grocery Store at the end of this year for various pop-ups, workshops and cooking demonstrations to teach the skills required to stay healthy classes such as nutrition classes.
“This is important for my own feeling,” Winston said about the Living Fresh Market Mission. “I have always served my community and this is just a part of who I am as a person.”
Christine Won is a freelancer.