LITTLE VILLAGE — A Little Village social enterprise is opening a market and coffee shop Friday, bringing nutritious food to 26th Street’s commercial corridor.
Cocina Rx Market will open at 3331 W. 26th St. in the building housing Latino-owned culinary school and food business incubator Food He.ro. A coffee bar selling artisanal coffee and freshly baked goods will also open at the market.
Cocina Rx Market will be open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. The coffee bar will open at 8 a.m., offering coffee from local roasters Aroma Café and Freysan, which use Mexican coffee beans.
Neighbors can find fresh produce from local farms, nutritional supplements, wellness shots and fresh, cold-pressed juices at affordable prices.
The shop will also sell Cocina Rx’s farm-to-table meals, prepared by food scientists, dietitians and chefs to make healthy eating accessible and delicious, said Cocina Rx Director Javier Haro.
Guided by the motto “Food is medicine,” the Little Village business has created ready-to-eat meals rooted in traditional recipes, seeking to use healthy ingredients without compromising taste and nutrition.
“These are meals made with lots of love and high nutritional value,” said Esmeralda Lorenzo, project manager for Cocina Rx.
Neighbors can pick up meals designed to meet the dietary goals of people with chronic diseases while offering tasty and culturally relevant options, said chef Carlos Gonzalez.
Neighbors will be able to find a wide selection of entrees and side dishes with high protein content and fiber in appropriate portion sizes, Gonzalez said. They’re a grab-and-go alternative for neighbors rather than skipping a meal or choosing fast food, Gonzalez said.
“We are breaking the mold of healthy, functional food,” Gonzalez said. “I hope people will come, taste it and realize it’s really cool.”
The team behind the medically tailored meals swaps ingredients like pasta for healthier alternatives such as rice noodles and vegetables in dishes like fettuccine with mole sauce and poblano pepper lasagna. Drinks like golden milk and cold-pressed juices offer a tasty and healthier alternative to agua frescas, typically loaded with sugar, Gonzalez said.
Since its start, Cocina Rx has aimed to offer healthy food options to West and South side neighborhoods disproportionately affected by COVID-19 due to pre-existing high rates of chronic disease. During the pandemic, the group distributed free, fresh and healthy meals to Little Village and North Lawndale neighbors.
“This started with us asking what could we do to help our community,” said Assistant Director Rosie Haro. “It’s our vision come true.”
Last year, Cocina Rx led a 12-week pilot program where 50 Southwest Side neighbors received free meals, participated in health workshops and learned to cook healthy, nutritious food for their families.
Neighbors learned how having strong community ties and good gut health and mental health contribute to their well-being, Lorenzo said.
In partnership with the University of Chicago, participants underwent microbiome and blood tests throughout the study that showed promising results, Lorenzo said. Participants also became more conscious about what they eat, and they continue to make healthier food choices for themselves and their families, Rosie Haro said.
Now that the market is opening, Rosie and Javier Haro hope more neighbors will try Cocina Rx meals and learn to make nutritious food that tastes just as good as their typical meals as they adopt healthier lifestyles.
Later this year, Cocina Rx plans to expand its meal program to deliver across the state and the country, Rosie Haro said.
“It is a health store for the community,” Javier Haro said. “Little by little, it is going to create an impact.”
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