AROUND CHICAGO

WHY JOIN THE IRA?

For over a century, the IRA has advocated at all levels for the best interests of the state's restaurant and hospitality community. Over the past two years, we've worked 24/7 to:

KEEP RESTAURANTS SAFELY OPEN

PASS & REPLENISH THE

REVITALIZATION FUND RESTAURANT

(RRF)

EXPAND OUTDOOR DINING

LEGALIZE COCKTAILS TO GO

CAP FEES FROM DELIVERY SERVICES

SUPPORT FOODSERVICE

WITH OUR RESTAURANT

RELIEF FUND GRANTS WORKERS

EMPLOYEE

PROVIDE BREAKING

GUIDANCE UPDATES &

We ensure that you stay connected to the pulse of the restaurant community and have the resources you need to grow your business.

BENEFITS & SAVINGS

FINANCIAL EXPERTISE

INSURANCE DISCOUNTS

SANITATION CERTIFICATIONS

SERVICES & SUPPLIES

LEGAL CONSULTATIONS

EXPERT GUIDANCE

C O N T A C T U S

C h r i s t i n e D e S o u s a

D i r e c t o r o f

c d e s o u s a @ i l l S a l e s

i n o i s r & M a r k e t i n g

e s t a u r a n t s . o r g

7 0 8 . 9 4 5 . 2 1 0 9 o r v i s i t

w w w . i l l i n o i s r e s t a u r a n t s . o r g

AROUND CHICAGO

With VALERIE MILLER Matcha Cita

Matcha Cita, Chicago’s first

matcha-focused café is now open in the West Loop.

After a popular pop-up stint in Lincoln Park in 2021, Matcha Cita’s permanent location is 1017 W Lake Street, steps from the Morgan ‘L’ station

(green and pink lines). A play on and reference to the timeless coffee date, Matcha Cita roughly translates to “matcha date” in Spanish. Cultivating personal creativity and a balanced lifestyle, Matcha Cita aims to produce a lively, welcoming experience with everything from the innovative matcha menu to the visually stylish decor.

Founded by Bianca Pearson with co-owner Vincent Lujan, Matcha Cita was born out of Pearson’s love of matcha and stylish interior design. Serving as Director of Sales and Marketing for over a decade at trendy hotspots like Joy District and Flight Club Darts in Chicago, Pearson launched Pop and Props in 2019, a boutique balloon installation and event planning company.

“When I realized there was an opportunity to bring a trendy, fully matcha-focused café to Chicago, I began conceptualizing Matcha Cita. I wanted to create a photogenic space, and the menu, the decor, the music, everything was carefully curated to create an overall energetic, cheerful vibe,” said Pearson. “After our initial pop-up in Lincoln Park, I knew I wanted to open an all day café where guests could enjoy a delicious menu but also feel welcome to stay awhile.”

THE SPACE: Bringing Pearson’s vision to life was East Interiors, who created the colorful 1600 square foot café that is retro and geometric in design with tropical vibes. The photo-worthy space is bold and bright with a palette of vibrant pastels, including light pink and light green walls set against a bubblegum pink ceiling with lavender lights that hang overhead. Matcha Cita offers seating for 20 guests in plush light corduroy pink and matcha green booths and at white marble café tables making it a perfect coworking space for patrons looking for a work from home alternative. In the warmer months, customers will enjoy a cozy sidewalk patio.

THE MENU: Utilizing matcha, a powder made from green tea leaves that’s high in antioxidants, and other superfood ingredients, the menu features specialty matcha drinks, over 20 smoothies, juices, coffee from Lavazza, macarons, a selection of pastries from Vivian Hu of Chicago Desserts and more.

Highlights include hot and iced drinks like a Matcha Horchata with cinnamon and vanilla almond milk, Purple Haze with matcha, lavender, CBD, and oat milk, Pineapple Mango Matcha with lemonade, and a Pink n’ Pitaya Smoothie with pitaya, strawberry, banana, peanut butter, and vanilla almond milk. Guests can customize their drinks with fun accessories. Including Make Me Pretty (collagen), Make It Luck (Lucky Charms), Make Me Mellow (CBD), Make Me Strong (protein) and Make It Matcha (matcha).

Food items include smoothie bowls like a Pitaya Bowl with blended pitaya, strawberry, banana and vanilla almond milk; sweet and savory Toasts including The Lox, Nella Nutella, Bruschetta, and Pomegranate; three flavors of Matcha Bubble Waffles; and an assortment of baked goods including Lavender Matcha Macarons and rotating House Made Pop Tarts. Matcha Cita is located at 1017 W. Lake St. in Chicago and will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 Photo by Matthew Reeves p.m. Delivery will also be available.

Photo by Jasmine Oliver

DSC Offering Farm-Fresh Salsas, Dressings and Jams

DSC produce farm makes salsa, dressings and jams with quality and freshness that you can taste, because most of the ingredients come from their 466-acre farm in Chillicothe Ohio.

The owner (and farmer by trade) Darren Cox, started selling his salsa and dressings at the local farmers market and quickly discovered that people had an appetite for good quality and freshness which could be tasted in every bite. After seeing the popularity and sales increasing, Darren began developing other recipes, did his own market research and today, his best-selling varieties include Bacon salsa and then his Habanero Bacon salsa. In the fall of 2020 DSC Produce Farm decided to broaden its sales reach for the jam, jelly, salsa and dressings by working with a nearby copacker to ensure the quality, flavor and integrity of the product. Soon after, DSC Produce Farm launched their first website and began offering nationwide shipment orders to consumers. Consumers love the DSC products, because they are all natural and free of corn syrup which makes them taste different from most items on grocery store shelves. Today, DSC is bringing their products to grocery and foodservice buyers across the Midwest, by advertising them in Food Industry News. You can

find the firm’s ad on page six of this issue.

Strawberry Production Rises to Meet Demand

Strawberry growers in California are heading into peak season with 6% more acreage in production compared with last year to feed growing demand for the popular fruit, according to the California Farm Bureau. Strawberries lead the berry category in terms of volume and household penetration, according to a RaboResearch report.

– Source: Western Farm Press

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Simply Better Brands Purchases Jones Soda

Simply Better Brands is acquiring Jones Soda in a deal valued at nearly $99 million and that involves Simply Better changing its name to Jones Soda or something similar. “We are bringing together not only strong consumer brands but also two strong management teams that we believe will deliver growth and operational synergies,” said Mark Murray, Jones Soda CEO.

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Sales • Fabrication Repairs • Maintenance Installation • Relocation From Italy to Chicago — and Beyond: Pastorelli’s Rich History

The Pastorelli family’s impact on the food industry dates back to the mid-19th century Italy, when Amedeo Pastorelli started a food distribution business

outside of Rome. Five generations later, in the heart of downtown Chicago, Pastorelli Food Products, Inc. continues the family legacy of innovation in the food business. Take a look at the timeline at the right to learn more about how the company got to where it is today.

1870: Local Postmaster, Amadeo Pastorelli

began distributing food products to and from his post office in Lucoli, Italy near the foothills of the Apennine Mountains. 1913: Benedetto Pastorelli, Amedeo’s son, takes his food manufacturing and distribution experience that he learned from his father to America.

1919-1924: The Pastorelli family moves to

California where they become partners in Contadina Canning and help establish the first North American olive-crushing plant, Matmore Olive Oil Company in Lindsey, CA.

1927: Benedetto and his wife Aurora head to Chicago,

where they helped establish Chicago Macaroni

Company, and Garibaldi Import/Export Company,

which later became Pastorelli Food Products.

1931: Benedetto’s son Leandro joins his father

in Chicago, where they set up a food co-op in the West Loop.

1946-1947: Leandro Pastorelli helps finance Gangi

Packing in Santa Clara, CA gaining exclusive distribution rights West of the Mississippi. 1952: After WWII, where many women left the home to go to work, fewer women had hours in the kitchen to spend making homemade sauce, so

Leandro Pastorelli, with the help of his sister Mary DiStefano and his brother Mario, formulate

the Italian Chef Pizza sauce, the first fully-prepared Pizza Sauce offered in a can.

1960’s: Pastorelli’s pizza kit grows in popularity

before the days of frozen pizza. 1971: Pastorelli moves to 901 W Lake St. where they begin bottling and labeling oils and vinegars for restaurants.

1979: The Italian Chef Pizza Sauce wins its first

Gold Medal at the Monde Selection in Vienna, and subsequently at Rome the year following.

2005-2007: The company expands, improving auto-

mated efficiencies on its bottling lines. 2018: Pastorelli continues to improve product quality standards, and receives the Non-GMO Project certification on the Italian Chef Pizza Sauce.

– Find Pastorelli’s ad on page seven.

Clean Juice Celebrates 200 Store Milestone in Less Than 7 Years

The popular franchise credits its massive growth by focusing on a personal guest experience and offering a lineup of superfood-ingredient smoothies, wraps, salads, acai bowls, and more along with developing new seasonal product innovations. Clean Juice’s success is topped-off with a dedicated focus toward educating the public to the benefits of eating organic.

MARKETING AND DESIGN DONE RIGHT

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Organic Fresh Produce Sales Top $2.3B

Total organic fresh produce sales for the first quarter of 2022 increased by 4 percent from the same period last year, topping $2.3 billion for the quarter, according to the Q1 2022 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners. Packaged salads continued to dominate in total organic dollars, reaching nearly $400 million for the quarter, a gain of 1.5 percent year-over-year.

The Illinois Restaurant Association

held its 43rd annual Chef’s Table gala

presented by Sysco and 8 Hospitality on Thursday, April 21, 2022 at Theater on the Lake (2401 N. Lake Shore Dr.).

The annual celebration honors the foodservice industry while raising funds that benefit the IRA Educational Foundation for scholarships and learning opportunities for deserving students. Themed “All Around Chicago,” this year’s gala honored the vibrant dining scene of Chicago’s neighborhoods with tasting stations, beverages, dancing, and a silent auction. “Chef’s Table is a moment to raise a glass and to raise funds for the future leaders of our industry,” remarked Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia. “It’s an honor to celebrate the next generation while we are surrounded by the tireless work of this one. It is a wonderful event for a truly great cause.” Participating restaurants included: 8 Hospitality, Adalina, Asadito, Bar Takito & Takito Kitchen, Big Shoulders Coffee, Bombay Wraps, Café Crèmerie, Churro Factory, Cocoa Chili Restaurant, Dipsy Desserts, Eden, Fig & Olive, Gaylord Fine Indian Cuisine, Gene & Georgetti, il Porcellino, Longman & Eagle, Lyra, Mariano’s, Normans Bistro, Piccolo Sogno, Robert Clemente Community Academy, Roots Pizza, Saigon Sisters, Savory Crust Gourmet Empanadas, Sushi-San, Sysco, Taqueria Los Comales, Truluck’s Ocean’s Finest Seafood & Crab, Vanille Patisserie, Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi.

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