'A Taste of Black History' Culinary Event Salutes Success of Chicago's African-American Vendors

ITASCA, Ill., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- JEWEL-OSCO, a leading Midwest food and drug retailer, will celebrate its African-American vendors and their entrepreneurial spirit with "A Taste of Black History" – JEWEL-OSCO's annual salute to Black History Month.

This year's program will kick off with the 11th annual "A Taste of Black History" reception, from 6-9 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 28, at Chicago's South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 South Shore Drive.  WVON-AM Radio Talk Show Host Cliff Kelley will serve as master of ceremonies for the event, which will feature an interpretive performance by the cast of the award-winning play, "Black Nativity."

During the reception, JEWEL-OSCO will award a total of $15,000 to three Chicago community organizations, in recognition of their outstanding work.  The recipients are Englewood Food Network, Community Christian Alternative Academy and the Center for Urban Transformation.  

Through their entrepreneurship, JEWEL-OSCO's African-American vendors help create and support a supply chain that impacts many hundreds of people by providing jobs and sustaining multiple business ventures.  These contributions will be acknowledged during the reception with awards for three vendors:  

• Derryl Reed of Smokin' Joe Products, LLC will receive the Brand Ambassador Award for aggressively working to promote the Smokin' Joe brand in the market place.
• LaVonne Sanders of Popcorn and More, Inc. will receive the Innovator Award for continually recreating the MixMatch brand.  
• Paul Fregia of Grandma Maud's will receive the Legacy Award for longevity in the Supplier Diversity Program.

"JEWEL-OSCO has always understood the value of developing minority vendors," said Jim Seidler, JEWEL-OSCO ethnic category manager.  "We believe offering their products shows we understand our customers' needs.  In turn, we hope customers recognize that, by purchasing African-American vendor products, they are also supporting these outstanding men and women."

Guests at the reception will have the opportunity to taste and experience more than 25 soul-stirring dishes prepared by students from Chicago's Washburne Culinary Institute and culinary students from the Chicago Public Schools (CPS).  The dishes will be prepared using JEWEL-OSCO African-American vendor products.  

"We are committed to developing and growing locally owned African-American businesses," said JEWEL-OSCO President Keith Nielsen.  "Our partnership with the Washburne Culinary Institute and Chicago Public Schools is just one example of how we hope to encourage future generations to make their own mark on the food industry."

As part of "A Taste of Black History," JEWEL-OSCO will also host in-store celebrations and tastings throughout the month of February.  The events will take place every Thursday and Friday, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at select stores throughout the Chicagoland area.  The times and locations are as follows:

JEWEL-OSCO's parent company, SUPERVALU, is supporting local events across the country in honor of Black History Month.

About JEWEL-OSCO

JEWEL-OSCO, a SUPERVALU company, operates 182 stores in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.  With a market-leading position in Chicago, JEWEL-OSCO stores offer consumers the convenience of combined grocery and pharmacy retail, in addition to services such as fuel centers at select locations.  Originally established in 1899, the company and its associates remain committed to the communities they serve.  For more information about JEWEL-OSCO, please visit www.jewelosco.com or www.oscopharmacy.com.

About SUPERVALU Inc.

SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest companies in the U.S. grocery channel with estimated annual sales of $41 billion.  SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of approximately 4,290 stores composed of approximately 1,200 traditional and premium stores, including 850 in-store pharmacies; 1,180 hard discount Save-A-Lot stores, of which 860 are operated by licensee owners; and 1,910 independent stores serviced primarily by the company's traditional food distribution business.  SUPERVALU has approximately 170,000 employees.  For more information about SUPERVALU visit www.supervalu.com.

     

SOURCE Jewel-Osco