Snackie Chan was formed by Ash(she/her) after a year of using food as both activism & therapy. Lockdown resulted in Ash losing all 3 jobs she previously was balancing and gave her time to focus on her passions and values. From weekly food rescue and redistribution to daily meals cooked for the household, she realized food was her love language and it could make a difference. Learning how to veganize Asian American dishes she was raised on also helped her reconnect to a side of her she felt a stranger to. Snackie is about making delicious Asian American cuisines both vegan and affordable and hopefully introducing them to some friends for the first time!

Stephanie Suzanne Brendle is a ukulele-playing bartender, a classically-trained chef & registered dietitian nutritionist, a pandemic facemask-maker, a witchy cat lady, a city cyclist, and an amateur herbalista! “In Da Weeds”, a nod to a nod to foraged and edible weeds, seaweed, & hemp seeds, began a few years ago as a pop-up, pick-up, & delivery home-based business in order to showcase her drinks & dishes ranging from NA shrub cocktails to raw desserts and everything in between. With a focus on delicious, nutrient-dense vegan food that is inclusively peanut & gluten-free, high-fiber & low-glycemic, Stephanie uses only natural, organic, and wild ingredients. She dreams of opening a collective vegan community space with rotating chefs, visual artists, and musicians/performers.

@SnackieChanChicago

@In_Da_Weeds

All tickets come with 4 courses, a plant and a cocktail.
$70

* We ask that all guest wear a mask when not consuming food or beverage, if unvaccinated.

Qui Tran is a first generation Vietnamese-American born of refugees who escaped the conflict of the Vietnamese-Cambodian war and communism in the 70s. He was born in Covington, Kentucky but grew up in the surrounding areas of Cincinnati, Ohio where his parents sought to build him a better life; a life that did not involve the poverty and the struggles that they had to experience themselves. As he grew older, despite his parents’ efforts in providing a life of “comfort,” there was always a feeling of displacement - no community to call his own. At school he wasn’t American enough, and at home or at church, he wasn’t Vietnamese enough. For years he struggled with his identity and a place to call home. Eventually, in the second half of his 20s, it became a period of rediscovery. Against his parents’ wishes, he traveled back to the motherland to meet his last living grandparent. He was immersed in a culture that was both familiar yet still foreign. As far as he could tell, he was still seen as an outsider by many. And so, the feeling of displacement came back. Now, as a food enthusiast, he wants to share his experiences through food. “Khổng dung” is a phrase in Vietnamese meaning “not right” or “incorrect.” It’s a phrase that symbolizes how Qui lives: a life of unconventionality and pushing against the grain. The “khổng dung” menu isn’t exactly traditional or authentic Vietnamese, but instead it’s unapologetically itself while trying to respect the essence of Qui's unique heritage and the beautiful things that can be born that can be born from the "not right."

15% of proceeds will be donated to Axis Lab, a community engagement and arts organization based in the Argyle Street community of Chicago. Axis Lab engages in arts, educational programming, urban design, culinary curating, and other advocacies for ethical development for immigrant and refugees.

QUI on Instagram

*We ask that guests are required to wear a mask when not consuming food or beverage.

Chicago cook & extraordinaire, Jennifer Kim is a second-generation Korean-American chef, restaurateur, writer and artist living and working in Chicago. Before the launch of Alt Economy, they co-owned Snaggletooth, a sustainable seafood micro-deli and in 2018, opened their first solo venture, Passerotto. During its two-and-a-half-year run, the restaurant garnered a reputation as a conscientious, community-focused business. It was also the recipient of respected accolades such as a 2019 James Beard Best New Restaurant nomination, a 2019 Jean Banchet Award, two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands and a 2018 Eater Chicago Chef of the Year Award. Their new project, Alt Economy, seeks to explore alternative economies outside of what we understand as “conventional” business models through community and worker-centered enterprises revolving around accountability, joyfulness and imagining the fantastic. Alt Economy is ever-changing and its fluidity is dictated by co-collaboration and future-building to redefine the ways that hospitality functions through one-off projects and story-driven dining experiences.

@Jennifer.skim

Fatima Butler (also known as Fati Bee) is a bartender and nonprofit operations specialist. Over the years, she has worked in the hospitality industry as well as in nonprofit operations management. In June 2020 she founded Rooted in Hospitality, a nonprofit organization that is committed to breaking down systemic barriers within the hospitality industry.

Fatima enjoys the creativity and energy that comes with involvement in the hospitality industry as well as the sense of social responsibility that comes with nonprofit work. When she’s not working, Fatima enjoys traveling with friends; reading science fiction; and cooking meals inspired by regional cuisine and restaurant dishes that she enjoyed.
Teaming up with Chicago bartender Fati Bee to create a cocktail menu meant to excite.

Fati Bee

* We ask that all guest wear a mask when not consuming food or beverage

A four course dinner & cocktail prepared by Chicago locals, Eric Sjaaheim & Molly Pachay. New Growth is a dinner inspired by mushrooms forged/grown by Eric personally. He walks us through journey of earthly flavors that perfectly suit the them of “New Growth” as we all come out a long state of solitude. This dinner is more than just food, it’s a representation of growth on every level, from the plants to ourselves.

Dinner By Eric Sjaaheim
Drinks By Molly Pachay & Ty Valentine

*We ask that guests are required to wear a mask when not consuming food or beverage.

-Drinks-

Rye - Jamaican Rum - Passionfruit - Cinnamon - Vanilla - Lime -

-Menu-
ASPARAGUS
(grilled and shaved raw)
Peas-Ramp-Radish-Macadamia-Mint

MUSHROOMS
(brothy)
Young Greens-Charred Onion

SCALLOPS
Fried New Potatoes-Salsa Verde-Ramp-Olive

LAMB
Grilled Baby Carrot-Fennel-Rib Rub

**15% of proceeds will be going to CHAAD, the Chicago Hospitality Accountable Actions Database. CHAAD documents accountability standards for the hospitality industry and offers resources that educate, reduce harm, and promote a collective effort to dismantle oppressive power structures that exist in food and beverage environments. **