THE LOOP — Oh, the difference a goat makes.
For Cubs fans, a goat's to blame for decades of screw-ups on the field. But Loop bakery Toni's Patisserie and Cafe hopes their goat-themed treats will change the lives of farmers in developing countries through a partnership with nonprofit Reverse the Curse.
Reverse the Curse, a three-year-old nonprofit based in River North, works to award goats and sometimes chickens to farmers in the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean nations.
Founder Jeremy Freeman, a Chicagoan and Cubs fan, married his desire to break the Cubbies' curse with his philanthropic interests after learning about the value of a single goat in a farming community.
One goat "provides milk and cheese so the family can eat; its young can be sold to pay for other necessities, like clothing, shoes, school supplies and more," Freeman wrote on Reverse the Curse's Causes.com page.
Through Feb. 11, the bakery and cafe at 65 E. Washington St. will serve frosted goat cookies (don't worry, they're just shaped like goats — not made with them), an arugula, goat cheese, apple and walnut salad and a goat cheese, fig and rosemary galette, and donate 50 percent of the proceeds from these items to Reverse the Curse.
They'll also sell Reverse the Curse merchandise in the shop, whose proceeds directly benefit the nonprofit.
