Illinois’ Black Business Month: Celebrating the Heartbeat of Chicago

Chicago Sky Highlights Frogtown Juice Co. and Chef Grady Catering for August’s Black Business Month

by MaryKate Drews, Chicago Sky Team Photographer

Pictured above: Frogtown Juice Co.

Chicago, Illinois, a city renowned for its vibrant culture and deep love for food, is also a tapestry woven with the rich threads of its Black community. Among the many treasures that define this beautiful city are its Black-owned businesses, which not only contribute significantly to the local economy but also celebrate and preserve the city’s diverse heritage.

Pictured above: Chef Grady Catering

Black-owned businesses have long been at the heart of Chicago’s cultural and culinary landscape. Highlighting these enterprises is crucial, not just for supporting economic equity, but for honoring the traditions and innovation they bring to the city. Two of these companies that are close to the heart of the Chicago Sky are Frogtown Juice Co. and Chef Grady Catering. After spending the month of August getting to know them, it is clear they are two city staples that are here to stay.

Pictured above: Chef Grady’s Catering

What are the roots of your business?

Frogtown Juice Co. –

“The business emerged organically from Kyle (Founder) taking healthier lunches and smoothies to work. His colleagues began to ask him to make them smoothies. From there he started juicing. He loved it and it grew into a passion. Soon he was encouraged by others to create a business and he has worked with his family to grow it to what it is today.

The name of the company recognizes where our late Grandmother (who was an entrepreneur and a cook) grew up. Frogtown was established as a free black community outside of Lexington, KY after the Civil War. In this community, members supported one another and grew their own fresh food. In addition to the company name paying homage to this community, some of the juices are named after people in his family.

As a company we interweave the values of community, inclusion, and sustainability. These are values that pay homage to our roots and are values that we care deeply about.”

Pictured above: Chef Grady Catering

Chef Grady Catering-

“I wanted to go into a business/industry that people will always need, which led me to the hospitality field more so food & beverage in particular. I watched how people lost their jobs during the recession and I wanted to have something that I felt was a sure service. I used to watch the food network all the time and everything seemed so fancy. There was a particular episode where someone made an Italian pot roast and I decided “hey I can make that” and that was kind of like the start of my pursuit in the food industry.”

Pictured above: Chef Grady Catering

What is one thing you value the most in your business model being a black owned family business?

Chef Grady –

“We value doing everything “straight up” (hence Str8up Bussin) . We want our customers to know that we value doing things the right way on a professional level and taste level. We want them to know that just because you cater for a larger group that doesn’t mean your food shouldn’t be bussin with flavor. And as a black owned business you definitely are fighting against a negative stereotype in terms of black business not being professional and we love to prove that wrong.”

Frogtown Juice Co. –

“We are proud that as a business we have stayed dedicated to our values. We value community, inclusion and sustainability. We’re proud that we’ve been able to support local organizations doing amazing work in the Black community such as Woke Chicago and The Healing. We also have worked with Black farmers to source our produce. These include The Watermelon Man and Sistas in the Village.

We have remained true to having sustainable production practices. One thing we are committed to is using glass packaging. It keeps the product fresher but also promotes recycling. Customers can return their clean bottles to us for discounts on their next purchase.”

Pictured above: Frogtown Juice Co.

Throughout your journey of becoming an entrepreneur, have there ever been moments that weighed on your overall vision? If so, what kept you moving down this path?

Chef Grady Catering- “Being an entrepreneur isn’t for the faint of heart. We have had our slow months where there were times we didn’t think we could keep going and possibly get different jobs for the time being but keeping the faith and believing in the journey allowed us to overcome the adversity we faced. We were also fortunate enough to have a good support system that came in many forms via our friends and family (especially Tone).”

Chef Grady Catering kitchen located in Chicago, IL

Pictured above: Chef Grady Catering

What does it mean for you to be in Chicago?

Frogtown Juice Co. – “It’s huge. If you can make it in this city, you can make it anywhere.

Chicago is a diverse city that prides itself in community and local businesses. We have met and connected with so many amazing small business owners and farmers from across the city and backgrounds. As a result, we source some of our produce from local farmers.

Pictured above: Frogtown Juice Co.

We’ve also had a chance to connect and work with local, national, and global brands as a result of being in this city. Being a partner of the Chicago Sky for the 2024 season has been an absolute honor.

Pictured above: Frogtown Juice Co.

Lastly, we have to give so much love to our customers, the amazing people that come to our Farmers Market locations every week to support us and other local businesses.We’re super grateful for all of the support we’ve received over the past 7 years. It still doesn’t feel real!”

Pictured above: Chef Grady Catering

Chef Grady Catering-

“Chicago is one of the most diverse and culturally in depth cities with an amazing ray of food. I thought that living in Chicago would be an amazing experience to learn, thrive, and succeed.”

Pictured above: Chef Grady Catering

Pictured above: Frogtown Juice Co.

Words of Wisdom:

Frogtown Juice Co. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Chef Grady Catering “Nothing in life that is worth having will come easy. Have a vision and stand by it, don’t be deterred by distractions.”

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