Green City Market in Chicago celebrates 25th anniversary
CHICAGO (CBS) — One of Chicago's most popular farmers' markets is celebrating 25 years of connecting local farmers to the city.
The Green City Market has been steadily growing in popularity. This summer, their Lincoln Park farmers' market has seen an average of 15-20,000 people come through each week.
Tens of thousands of hungry, curious, produce-loving shoppers flood into Lincoln Park to visit the Green City Market. Flowing between a lengthy line of stalls, selling some of the most highly sought-after produce in the city.
Chef Sarah Stegner is one of the market's founding members. It's been 25 years, but she's still here just about every week. She personally knows every vendor here, and they all know each other.
"So across the way, this way, it's food farms, and then over here is filming," said Leigh Omilinsky, executive pastry chef and partner at Daisies. "We get all of our fruits from Coop farms, and I would say, I don't know, like 80, 90% of our vegetables from Froman Farms."
"Green City has definitely helped facilitate relationships between not only customers and vendors but between vendor and vendor," farmer Abby Schilling said.
Everything at the market is either grown within a certain radius of the city or prepared using local ingredients.
"They need to know where all of our product comes from, and it needs to be part of the vendors that are here, and they need to be able to, like, trace it and track it," Omilinsky said.
"Because the green city market requires a third party certification, whether that be USDA organic or certified sustainable. It retains these original customers that I personally have been seeing come here since 2004," vendor Steve Freeman said.
Most vendors drive hours away from their farms, toting hundreds of pounds of produce multiple times a week—if not all week.
"My farm is in Beloit, Wisconsin. It's about 100 miles away; every day, I get up at 2:30 and head down here. arrive at four and set up," said. Jerry Boone, owner of Froggy Meadow Farm.
"We're coming all the way from Buchanan, Michigan, about two hours away from Chicago," Schilling said.
"We're in Marengo, Illinois, which is in western McHenry County. it's about 65 miles from here," Freeman said.
"I only do Green City Market. I'm a very small farm, and this is the best market in the city by far," Boone said.
Farmers at Green City Market can afford to be selective because local shoppers are not the only ones looking for their weekly groceries.
"We sell them around 200 different restaurants in Chicago. This market specifically has a lot of chefs come through it," Freeman said.
"We work with Smith, Obelix, many, Linea. All the best restaurants in the city," Boone said.
"We can't move everything via farmer's market, so selling in more bulk or wholesale is really important to our business model," Schilling said.
Despite Green City being a hub for high-quality food, the team aims to keep access barriers low ...
"We have this incredible snap benefit matching program where benefits are matched one to three," said Mandy Moody, executive director of Green City Market.
The vouchers are viable at any participating farmers' market location in the city, and they never expire.
"So, for every $25 you give from your link, you end up with $75. So you have more power purchase. So, that helps you as a customer to have access to good, nutritious food, and then it helps the farmer because the money comes back directly to the farmer," Vendor Alex Finn said.
"So, for our health and our communities, it's a win for everyone," Moody said.
This year, Green City Market is expecting over $400,000 in SNAP benefits to be redeemed at the market—that's times as many benefits as just five years ago.
This Thursday, they'll be celebrating their 25th anniversary with a barbeque with local chefs. They'll use market vendors' produce to create unique, local dishes and a side of family fun. Tickets are available on the Green City Market website.