Ecology! This is a word that is thrown around by many, but for many people, is not a way of life. For the owners of EcoFlamingo, a charming store in a neighborhood of the city, these are words they live by. What began as a “general store” on Rockwell ( just a few blocks from the Brown Line Rockwell station, has grown into a fresh market and a cafe where one knows they will find healthy items from local area businesses that are affordable and contribute to saving our environment.
When I first found this store, it was strictly the General Store located at 4750 N. Rockwell. Here one could purchase bulk spices, oils, bath and body products, cleaning supplies, laundry detergents and foods. I watched as consumers, carrying their own containers, came in, found what they needed, and filled their containers, thus saving one more wasted plastic or glass bottle or container. By not having the packaging, they found they were saving money, and still getting the best product for what they needed.
Some of the items back then were teas and coffees as well as dry foods. Since that time, the ladies of EcoFlamingo have added the two adjacent storefronts where they now offer a fresh market with a great number of products that one would find at a Farmer’s market. Since the Farmer’s markets are a warm weather “thing”, having the products available in their market, gives the local producers an outlet all year long and allows the consumers to restock their pantries in the winter months as well. They also have pastas and eggs and many other items available, again, all healthy, and from local purveyors.
The rest of the story, where Frank and I enjoyed some wonderful beverages and tasty items is the Cafe ( attatched to the Fresh Market). The website for the Eco Flamingo is www.theecoflamingo.com
We joined Mia in the store, where Frank took note of all the amazing products available there and online as well. We then walked over to the Cafe where we enjoyed some great coffee ( de-caf for both, mine black, his with coconut sugar and cream- all natural) and some of the items that are delicious and in one case, an adventure. This is the Jalapeno pretzel. While quite tasty, it has a little “zing” at the end, but one that is a great waker-upper. Frank and I had several flavors of their”Kombucha” ( I found that the Lavendar Bliss” was my favorite). They had 7 choices today.
The other flavors or should I say items that we tried were the yogurt/granola with fruit bowl. I am not a granola guy, but I truly found this to be amazingly yummy. Frank was checking his sugars so he backed off on the muffin which was dynamite. The Matcha Raspberry muffin was a delight and I ended up consuming 90% of it ( sorry Seattle Sutton ). They also have brownies and quiche as well as open face sandwiches. You can also get empanadas, tamales and conches from their Aztec Vegan Kitchen. Yes, they have something for everyone!
If you dine in, they have mugs and cups for the beverages. If to go, bring your own, OR buy one of theirs, and get a special price, plus they are re-usable ( of course)
Again, the General Store is located at 4750 N. Rockwell 773-942-6892 and The Cafe/Market is at 4754 N. Rockwell 773-961-7861
HOURS: General Store: Monday thru Friday 11 am- 7p.m. , Saturday and Sunday 10 am- 7 p.m.
Cafe/Market: Monday thru Sunday 9 am- 7 p.m.
Metered parking on Rockwell, but south of the alley, residential FREE parking.
shop online or visit in person. www.theecoflamingo.com
When you go there, allow yourself some time to truly see all the amazing products that you can get ( and coninue to refill) as you will save money and a piece of our environment.
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