Smooth and Social Roots Cafe Now Open!
Exciting things are always happening in and around Garfield Park! Smooth and Social Roots, a Black-owned and operated Urban Farm and CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), started on the South Side and is now expanding its operation to the West Side with a new cafe.
David Edwards, the founder of Smooth and Social Roots, grew up on the South Side and remembers not having many options for fresh groceries growing up. He sees similar issues after moving here to the West Side and he is working to be a part of the solution in accessing healthy food in our community. Currently, he is helping to revitalize the Madison and Francisco Community Garden to increase community gardening space and source locally grown food for the new Smooth and Social Roots Cafe. The new cafe features an on-site garden and chicken coop, a Youth Agriculture Program, and a menu of comforting and healthy soul food! Edwards envisions customers being able to see exactly where their food comes from in this space where the food is growing just steps away from the kitchen.
The cafe is meant to be a gathering space for the community, with a space to pick up fresh CSA orders, comfortable seating with a record player that customers can play music on, and a small classroom for the Youth Agriculture Program. The program “is designed to teach youth Science through Agriculture, all the while exposing them to nature and encouraging them to grow their own produce”; students can learn in the classroom and then go out to the on-site garden to put the knowledge into action.
You can visit the Smooth and Social Roots Cafe at 1517 W. Warren Blvd, Chicago IL, 60607.
Learn more about David Edwards and Smooth and Social Roots on their website and stay up to date with their social media!
