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CHICAGO (AP) - The opening of a grocery in Chicago's impoverished and violence-plagued Englewood neighborhood has meant an often-called food desert has shrunk and hopes of a community revival increased.
Neighborhood residents and community and political leaders cheered when the doors to a Whole Foods grocery opened Wednesday.
Plans for the grocery began in 2013 as part of a $20 million project that includes a recently opened Starbucks.
Developer Leon Walker says the project is changing the brand identity of Englewood, making the neighborhood a new place to invest.
Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey says the company, known for high prices, sought input from Englewood residents on the products they want and worked to make them affordable. He said there are items unique to the South Side store, including banana pudding and bean pies.