The Plant used to be Peer Foods, a meat processing facility. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
“Very ironic” is how Bubbly Dynamics announced its partnership with Chicago Vegan Test Kitchen to produce a weekly vegan farmers market beginning Aug. 2.
The market, dubbed Vegan Paradise, will run on Sundays through Sept. 6 at Bubbly Dynamics’ The Plant, a former meat processing facility in Back of the Yards that’s now an incubator for small food production businesses and a hub for experiments in sustainability.
John Edel, founder of Bubbly Dynamics, bought the building, once home to Peer Foods, in July 2010, and was prepping to mark The Plant’s first decade with the grand opening of the Packingtown Museum, an homage to the history of the Chicago stockyards and the city’s meat packing industry. Instead, the vegan market is as close to a 10-year anniversary party as The Plant is likely to throw in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chicago Vegan Test Kitchen is a collective market featuring local plant-based chefs, cruelty free crafters and conscious body care products. Its popular events have most often been held at Emporium in Logan Square.
Vegan Paradise will set up outdoors, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at The Plant, 1400 W. 46th St., with local farmers added to the test kitchen’s typical array of vendors.
The Packingtown Museum's opening at The Plant is now on hold. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Though the market is free, pre-registration is required for timed entry in order to manage the number of guests. A limited number of slots will be reserved for Back of the Yards residents. For registration information, follow Chicago Vegan Test Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram.
Among the additional safety measures being put into place: All guests will be required to wear masks; all guests and vendors will have their temperature taken; food vendor sales will be processed in advance, with no cooking done on site; and a one-way traffic flow will be established within the market.
The Plant’s new retail space, the Turtle Stop, will be open during farmers market hours, selling items from the building’s tenants, among others. Whiner Beer, a brewery located at The Plant, will have limited seating available in its taproom, and packaged goods to-go.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
