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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING LULA CAFE FOR RECEIVING THE 2024 JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING HOSPITALITY
WHEREAS, Lula Cafe has been a staple in the Logan Square neighborhood since 1999. What started out as a small cafe on Kedzie Boulevard had turned into a full restaurant stretching three store fronts under the leadership of Executive Chef/Owner Jason Hammel and Co-Founder Amalea Tshilds; and
WHEREAS, Lula Cafe is a celebrated "farm to table" restaurant that has received many accolades, including Chef Jason Hammel's three-time nomination as finalist for the James Beard Best Chef Great Lakes award; and
WHEREAS, Lula Cafe was awarded the James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality - the only Beard medal that a City of Chicago and a County of Cook restaurant received in 2024; and
WHEREAS, Chef Jason Hammel attributes this award and the success of the restaurant to their workers. Despite the existing challenges in the restaurant industry, Lula Cafe has retained a wonderful team of creatives that continue to grow in their roles and graduate to lead or start other highly-regarded restaurants in the 8th District; and
WHEREAS, Lula Cafe values equity and inclusion with their staff, customers, and community members. They continue to lead in the world of hospitality because they center the well-being and voices of their team members in their work. Before joining the popular campaigns to pay tipped workers a fair wage, the restaurant had been paying their workers a living wage; and
WHEREAS, Lula Cafe has provided hearty and healthful meal for 150 members of our 8th District community since the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic through partnerships with Raise High Roads Kitchens and Community Dinners Avondale; and
WHEREAS, Chef Jason Hammel is one of the several chefs who started Pilot Light, a non-profit organization that is focused on food education and action in the Chicago school system; and
WHEREAS, Chef Jason Hammel ha...
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