ENGLEWOOD — Mayor Rahm Emanuel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited the soon-to-open Englewood Whole Foods Market and said he is interested in using the store as a model to address food deserts in his country.
Khan, who was in Chicago for the first time, said he wanted to come to learn more about how Whole Foods was working with the community. He said people are getting access to fresh foods and jobs right in their community.
“This is a win-win,” he said.
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City Colleges Chancellor Cheryl Hyman was present, too.
"This promotes business growth and healthy food choices," she said.
City Colleges Chancellor Cheryl Hyman (from left), London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Whole Foods' Midwest Market Vice President David Schwartz walk through the parking lot outside the Englewood Whole Foods.
Emanuel said the Chicago visit was a great way for the two mayors to learn from each other and share ideas.
Khan said London also has a food desert issue and not enough of the “right businesses in the right places.” He said he liked Whole Foods' efforts to provide access to healthy fresh foods to the South Side.
Both mayors met with the new employees of the store and local vendors who were set up in the parking lot.
Before they arrived, about 100 new employees sat in on a panel that consisted of local entrepreneurs. They learned more about the products they will be selling in the store. Emanuel and Khan greeted them and then met with some of the vendors.
Khan (from left) and Emanuel pose for photos with Lelia and Troy Young, parents of daughter Lelia (far right), a new employee at Whole Foods. [DNAinfo/Andrea Watson]
Lelia Young introduced “Lelia’s Delights” to them.
“I’m excited to embark on this new journey,” she said.
Her parents said they are proud of her.
"She loves to cook and gets so excited," said her mother Lelia Young. They share the same name. "The mayor from London told her that the 'sky was the limit' so we're just happy for her."
Whole Foods officials said that when the store opens Sept. 28, there will be more than 100 employees, including about 35 who live in Englewood, while others live in nearby communities.
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