Forty Acres Fresh Market Reviewed
A new restaurant review highlights Forty Acres Fresh Market as a recent addition to Chicago's dining scene. The emergence of new venues like Forty Acres signals continued diversification within the city's food and beverage market. No further details on the style of cuisine or location were provided in the briefing.
- Forty Acres Fresh Market is a Black woman-owned grocery store located at 5713 W. Chicago Avenue in the city's Austin neighborhood. It was founded by Liz Abunaw, a graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a former employee at General Mills and Microsoft. - The store was created to address the lack of fresh food options on Chicago's West Side, a need Abunaw personally discovered in 2016 when she found herself in Austin unable to easily find a grocery store, a bank, or even a major drugstore. Prior to its opening, many Austin residents had to travel to other neighborhoods or suburbs to buy groceries. - Before opening its permanent location in September 2025, Forty Acres began in January 2018 as a mobile grocer, utilizing pop-up markets and a delivery service to serve communities. This mobile strategy was crucial during the pandemic, when delivery orders surged. - The name "Forty Acres" is an intentional reference to the post-Civil War promise of "forty acres and a mule" to formerly enslaved people, chosen by Abunaw to resonate with the Black community and signify economic empowerment and ownership. - The development of the 10,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar store was a significant undertaking, involving the conversion of a former Salvation Army building. The project was supported by a variety of funding sources, notably a $2.5 million grant from the City of Chicago's Recovery Plan and a $9 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation. - The grocery store aims to be a full-service market, offering fresh produce, a meat counter, prepared foods, and staples, and it accepts SNAP benefits. Beyond addressing food insecurity for over 40,000 low-income residents, the project aims to stimulate the local economy by creating jobs and attracting other businesses.
