Introducing the Z&H staff Dietitian

A feature that we will offer at Z&H is a regular opportunity for our customers to consult with a licensed Dietitian. Rebecca Stevens, in addition to being one of our dearest friends, is a dedicated Dietitian with a common-sense approach to diet and nutrition. One facet of Z&H is a focus on sustainable, local and regional items. Quality, not quantity. You will learn where your food comes from; the farmers, the artisans who craft the foods, to the champions of traditions that still thrive, if you only take the time to find them.

Product Selection

As we move forward with our construction we continue to refine our product selection. It is fun and challenging to build and groom our product list to create the family of products we will offer. Key aspects of the MarketCafe are the service level and knowledge of our staff, the comfortable nature of our space, and, equally important the variety of our products. Every product we will offer has been or is being discussed and reviewed, to insure each item is the best product we can offer in a category and/or the best quality value in a category. It is easy to say (but in this case it is true) you will never have experienced a Market quite like ours. We will continue to seek out the best and most interesting (and delicious) items for you to discover at Z&H MarketCafe. As we get closer to open we will highlight some of our favorites here on the blog, and continue to post new items we add to our mix.

And the walls came down...

We have been making progress. the blue carpet is history, the wood trim - that 'trimmed' everything, is history, the ceiling tiles are gone, and the walls began to come down today. There is a basic pleasure in removing the old and creating a new space. The transformation has begun.

Coming Soon...

It may seem like a small thing, but it is a relief to seem the 'Opening Spring 2008' signs in the windows.

Out With the old...

Architects. I never thought that architects would have such a impact on my life. Alas, in Chicago, architects are one of the gate-keepers for the permit process. Permits. Every other facet of the process of opening a retail business in Chicago is straight forward and manageable, and linked to permits. Without permits there is nothing. I am fairly sure that the permit process was handed down to the leaders of our city by the ancient Aztec culture, as it is mysterious and involves animal and human sacrifice....ok, no sacrifices, but it is oddly mysterious.

We have now met with a few architects and are waiting to see some proposals, and we have also moved forward on some of the removal of old materials in the space - drop ceiling, carpeting, glass wall partitions, doors, and other odd and ends.

The search ends....the construction process begins

We signed the lease for the 1126 East 47th Street space on December 20th, 2007. The sweet, sweet, music of the pen on paper brought a nearly year long process to an end. Living in the neighborhood, we love the Bronzeville/Grand Boulevard/Kenwood area, but the lack of suitable retail space has been a challenge. We are excited with our location and the opportunities to serve our community with a level of service and quality that will be a refreshing surprise. This blog will serve as a place where you can check on our progress and hopefully share with us ideas that you may have for a specialty neighborhood grocery that we sincerely hope becomes a place that our neighbors view as their place. We put up the paper on the windows today and the 'coming soon' signs should go up tomorrow. Lots to do, progress makes us smile.