EDGEWATER — The city approved a zoning change Monday for a massive 10,000-square-foot new kitchen facility in Edgewater that will become part of Phoenix Bean Tofu's planned expansion.
From its current size of 3,000 square feet, the tofu production space will more than triple when it's completed at 5408-10 N. Broadway.
Owner Jenny Yang closed on the deal last summer, which includes what is now a single-story former auto body shop and an adjacent vacant lot.
Yang will build on the empty lot and renovate the existing space into a brand new kitchen and production area where her team will cook up its signature tofu, found in some of Chicago's finest restaurants and sold in grocery stores across the city and Midwest.
On the same block, Yang said she hopes to open a retail store where customers can sample and buy her products directly.
The space Phoenix Bean has quietly occupied at 5438 N. Broadway for the last 35 years will become a storage area.
Yang's tofu has been served at restaurants like Next, Lao Sze Chuan, Duck Duck Goat, Handlebar and BellyQ, and has been featured in creations by Rick Bayless, Stephanie Izard, Sarah Grueneberg and more.
In 2014 when actress and uber-vegan Gwyneth Paltrow desired dairy-free cheesecake, Chicago's own Eli's Cheesecake answered the call using Phoenix Bean after searching more than a year for the perfect soft tofu.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, some 83.7 million acres of soybeans were planted in the U.S. last year, up from 77.2 million in 2012. Illinois leads the nation in soy bean production, at 600 million bushels.
The Soy Foods Association of America said 31 percent of Americans say they consume soyfoods or soy beverages once a week, up from 24 percent in 2010. Soymilk is the most often consumed soyfood, followed by edamame, energy bars and tofu.
Get a look inside the neighborhood factory where some of the city's favorite tofu is made.
