Belli’s is a project that started in August of 2013 when our kickstarter was launched. Our doors opened only months later, in October 2013; however, the beginning of Belli’s was an accumulation of work & experience that founder, Alexandra Curatolo ha
s been involved in since volunteering for the Pilsen Community Market that she now resides as Board member, President. During this time, she also focused her studies on food systems while at the University of Illinois- Chicago’s Urban Planning graduate program, concentrating specifically on community development & local food hubs. Beyond this, she was introduced to urban agriculture after growing her own food at nearby community gardens. All of this led to a project that became a business that we now know as Belli’s, named after the founder’s French Bulldog Belli.
Juicing and smoothies were also routine for Curatolo, as she became more & more interested in healthy living & organic wholesome food. Her concoctions- both juice & food- are simple & she relies on her instinct as well as believes in the quality of freshly picked local vegetables & fruits to produce a healthy yet satisfying end product.
WELCOME TO BELLI’S
We are a local market & juicebar offering healthy and fresh food & juice in Pilsen. We work with urban farmers in the city of Chicago and local farmers in the Midwest to provide fresh, organic foods—fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, local preserves—we’re a permanent farmers’ market.
You’ll find great snacks like natural popcorn, kale chips, granolas, and local honey, many of them vegan and gluten free. To ensure quality, we’ve traveled to the farms that make the products we offer and we’ve learned about their sustainable practices firsthand. We also support fair-trade chocolate, coffee, bananas, and more.
We have expanded our juicebar to offer fresh, locally sourced, made-to-order juices, seasonal soups, and salads.
The art is local. The employees are local. And Belli’s believes in supporting our local community.
Belli’s offers the best of Pilsen and Chicago and will continue to provide affordable food and healthy alternatives by working with our neighbors, for our neighbors, because we love our neighborhood. Our space is your space. Thank you for supporting local.