Our closing received so much more media attention than it would have if Mayor Emmanuel had not visited LSK just a couple of weeks before.  He was the victim of unfortunate timing.  The seeds of our closure were sown long before he became Mayor. 

First, let me thank all of you for your heartfelt good wishes for us.  It’s been wonderfully overwhelming, and we’re grateful to all of you for your support.

The media called me yesterday to comment on the statement released by Chicago Dept of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP–btw, you need a shorter name) about LSK’s closure.  Here’s what the City said:

Logan Square Kitchen will close permanently on Friday, June 28, 2012. We’re grateful to our community and every single person that believes that we can heal community with food.

Having the Mayor visit us was a surreal experience.  There’s so much energy around him– security, personal aides, communications folks– then Alderman, staff working on whatever he’s announcing, TV, press, the public– jockeying for attention.  All this energy swirls around, and there’s the Mayor at the center of it– calm and charming.  As personable as he is, you can’t help but have that "OMG-I’m-talking-to-THE-MAYOR-feeling."

It’s been over five months since Health Commissioner Bechara Couchair visited LSK and met with food business owners.  What’s happened since that visit?

Our steady stream of health inspections has stopped.  The "new" head of Food Protection that attended the meeting, Sandra Alfred, has already left her position, returning to a post in the Animal Care & Control Division. So the Head of Food Protection is once again a vacant post, as it had been for 1.5 years before Sandra Alfred briefly filled it.

I would describe our meeting Tuesday with Health Commissioner Choucair (SHOE-care) as constructive and loaded with potential.  Over 30 members of the food business community made time to offer suggestions and begin what I hope will be ongoing diablog on how to work together in fine fashion.  THANK YOU to everyone who came, I am continually inspired by the food community in Chicago.  

CDPH Commissioner Choucair will visit Logan Square Kitchen on Tuesday, November 1st at 11:00am.  The visit will last about 45 minutes.

My thanks for Health Commissioner Choucair for meeting with me yesterday.  It was the first time I met him personally, and my suspicions were confirmed.  I met an energetic, positive, hard-working, solution-oriented leader.  He had read our petition at Change.org, and everyone’s comments.