Prof. Beth Kregor and Debra A. Cafaro, '82, Featured in Crain's: "What 9 Chicago Business Leaders Wish for in 2018"
What 9 Chicago Business Leaders Wish for in 2018
Debra A. Cafaro: Demonstrate that businesses care
I would like to see all of us do much more to ensure that our elders no longer go hungry or be forced to choose between medication and meals. Even in this time of great prosperity, 1 in 7 people in Cook County aren't able to reliably access adequate nourishing food. Senior adults are a particularly vulnerable community driven by the demographic and financial forces of an aging baby boomer generation and a sharply rising 85-plus population. Ventas, one of the largest owners of senior housing in the U.S., provides homes where seniors can live with dignity and enjoy healthful, regular meals. In addition, we are a proud strategic partner of the Greater Chicago Food Depository Older Adult program, which supports more than 6,500 seniors each month.
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Beth Kregor: Ease the rules on food entrepreneurs
The kitchen is at the heart of the business plan for food entrepreneurs who may have little startup capital beyond a recipe. But commercial kitchens where it is legal and affordable to start a business are rare in Chicago, especially on the South and West sides.
In 2018, I hope new shared kitchens will open as culinary incubators across our city. Illinois is one of the country's most restrictive states for entrepreneurs who want to sell homemade food. Here, home bakers can't sell their products outside of a farmers market unless their local health department adopts a special law, and few have. Foods with meat or cheese, like tamales, cannot be made at home and sold at all.
Read more at Crain's Chicago Business