Maxwells Trading Partner With The Roof Crop To Teach South Side Youth Interested In Urban Ag Careers
The Roof Crop, an urban agriculture company, has partnered with Maxwells Trading, a renowned restaurant, to create a unique program for South Side youth interested in urban agriculture and adjacent careers.
The program, which began six months ago, brings together young adults from the Gary Comer Youth Center’s Comer Crops Crew, a paid internship program for those interested in urban agriculture and adjacent careers.
At The Roof Crop’s office, the group participants engage in hands-on activities, such as creating greeting cards from locally sourced seed paper and flowers grown by The Roof Crop, to be sold at the company’s West Loop flower shop and apothecary, Third Season.
Aims to Expose Participants to Urban Farming and Restaurant Industry
The program aims to expose participants to the realities of working in and running a sustainable agriculture business, with a focus on the intersection of urban agriculture and the restaurant industry.
“We really wanted to create a hub for different groups throughout the city that are doing amazing work but often lack connections to kitchen jobs, different careers or the space to gather outside of their own environments,” said Roof Crop founder Tracy Boychuk.
Childhood and Adult Learning
Boychuk conceived of The Roof Crop over a decade ago to market farmable green roof systems. The company has grown to manage several rooftop farms across the city and over 100 honey-producing beehives in partnership with The Hive Supply.
Boychuk’s nonprofit arm, the Roof Crop Foundation, launched an apiary program and has broken ground on a propagation house in East Garfield Park.
Mixing Business and Sustainability
A key aspect of the program is its focus on mixing business and sustainability, as seen in the hands-on activities and lectures given by Erling Wu-Bower, the James Beard Award-nominated chef running Maxwells Trading.
Wu-Bower’s menu features seasonal Asian- and Cajun-inspired dishes using produce grown on The Roof Crop’s roof, highlighting the business side of urban farming.
Impacting the Future
The goal is to teach participants to innovate through sustainable practices and view everything produced through a financial lens, such as making handmade cards from dried flowers for a profit.
Participants like Kelly Jones, a 25-year-old intern from the Gary Comer Youth Center, are already seeing the value in the program.
“I want to make Chicago’s food system more sustainable, especially in institutional purchasing. I’m interested in the processes behind how restaurants source their food and the qualifications they seek from farms like ours,” Jones said.
Conclusion
The partnership between The Roof Crop and Maxwells Trading offers a unique opportunity for young adults to learn about urban agriculture and the restaurant industry, while gaining valuable business skills. As the program continues to grow, it will be interesting to see the impact it has on the participants and the local community.
FAQs
Q: What is the goal of the program?
A: The goal of the program is to expose participants to the realities of working in and running a sustainable agriculture business, with a focus on the intersection of urban agriculture and the restaurant industry.
Q: How many participants are in the program?
A: The program currently has a group of 6-8 young adults from the Gary Comer Youth Center’s Comer Crops Crew, a paid internship program for those interested in urban agriculture and adjacent careers.
Q: What types of activities are included in the program?
A: The program includes hands-on activities such as creating greeting cards from locally sourced seed paper and flowers grown by The Roof Crop, along with lectures by Erling Wu-Bower, the James Beard Award-nominated chef running Maxwells Trading, on the business side of urban farming.
