CHICAGO —The owner of a fast-casual restaurant chain and a healthy food advocate have opened a new supermarket on Chicago’s South Side that aims to populate so-called “food deserts”—areas underserved by mainstream food stores.
Quentin Love, owner of the “no beef, no pork” Quench restaurant chain, and activist LaDonna Redmond have opened Fresh Family Foods, a boutique-style supermarket targeting the African-American community. The supermarket also is the only black-owned supermarket in Illinois.
Research has indicated that poor food choices close to home contribute to high rates of diabetes and heart disease among African-Americans, Redmond said.