2025 National Community Champion Award Winner Expands to Chicago, Creating New Pathways for Hispanic/African Americans & Addressing Critical Food Desert Crisis
CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, February 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Food Hero LLC, a Chicago-based food service innovator, today announced a groundbreaking two-year partnership with Soulcial Kitchen LLC to bring the nationally acclaimed Food Truck Apprenticeship Program to the Chicagoland area. The partnership represents a significant investment in workforce development and will specifically focus on creating entrepreneurial opportunities for individuals of Hispanic and African American origin in one of the nation’s most underserved urban food landscapes.
Soulcial Kitchen recently received the prestigious 2025 National Restaurant Foundation Community Champion Award, sponsored by American Express, recognizing it as the top hospitality community impact brand in the United States. The Food Truck Apprentice program combines classroom instruction and hands-on training, providing participants with U.S. Department of Labor-approved certification in mobile food truck operations and restaurant management.
“We are thrilled to partner with Soulcial Kitchen to bring this transformative program to Chicago,” said Javier Haro, CEO of Food Hero. “This partnership represents more than workforce training; it’s about creating real pathways to economic independence for Hispanic and African American families in our community. By combining apprenticeship training with our commitment to serving food deserts, we’re addressing two critical challenges facing Chicagoland: economic opportunity and food access.”
The partnership comes at a critical time for Chicago’s Hispanic and African American communities, where residents face some of the city’s highest rates of hunger. According to the Chicago Food Equity Agenda, approximately 29% of residents in majority-Latinx communities and 37% of residents in majority-Black communities experience food insecurity, compared with about 19% of Chicagoans overall. Many of these families live in neighborhoods classified as food deserts, where more than 500,000 residents lack convenient access to fresh, healthy food options.
As part of the partnership, Food Hero will also adopt and deploy Soulcial Kitchen’s innovative “Currency of Caring” Dignity on Demand free meal distribution mission. This groundbreaking program utilizes mobile food trucks to deliver free, hot, restaurant-quality meals to at-risk populations in hard-to-reach neighborhoods and designated food deserts. Through this initiative, which has also been adopted in six states, participating food trucks provide made-to-order meals that honor the dignity of recipients while addressing critical nutritional needs in Chicago’s underserved South and West Side communities.
“This partnership exemplifies what’s possible when entrepreneurship meets social mission,” said John Michel, President of Soulcial Kitchen. “Food Hero shares our commitment to using food as a force for community transformation. Together, we’re not just training food truck entrepreneurs; we’re equipping community leaders who will serve as economic anchors and sources of nourishment in neighborhoods that have been overlooked for far too long. We have no doubt the Hispanic and African American communities’ entrepreneurial spirit, combined with our proven apprenticeship model, will create lasting change across Chicagoland.”
The Food Truck Apprenticeship Program offers participants comprehensive training in:
• Food safety and sanitation protocols
• Mobile food operations management
• Business planning and financial management
• Marketing and customer service
• Menu development and cost control
• DOL-compliant apprenticeship certification
Under the two-year agreement, Soulcial Kitchen will provide curriculum licensing, quarterly technical assistance, instructor training, program evaluation, and advisory committee participation to ensure Food Hero’s program meets the highest standards of quality and compliance. The program is specifically designed to address barriers faced by Hispanic and African American entrepreneurs, including language accessibility, cultural competency in curriculum delivery, and connections to capital for launching independent food truck businesses.
Chicago faces one of the nation’s most severe food desert challenges, with 22 communities officially designated as food deserts and an estimated 500,000 residents living more than one mile from a supermarket. African Americans comprise approximately one-third of Chicago’s population but represent nearly 80% of residents living in low food-access areas, while Hispanic neighborhoods face similar disparities exacerbated by economic challenges and limited transportation options.
Through the Currency of Caring program, every time 100 donated meal tokens are received, Food Hero will work with community leaders to identify the most vulnerable populations and deliver 100-125 free, hot meals via participating food trucks. The initiative also empowers local law enforcement, first responders, and community organizations with meal tokens to distribute to those in need, fostering connection and nourishment where it’s needed most.
Applications for the inaugural Food Hero Food Truck Apprenticeship Program cohort will open in early 2026. Interested candidates and community partners can learn more by visiting www.foodhe.ro or contacting 773-888-1310.
Javier Haro, CEO Food Hero LLC
Food Hero
+1 773-888-1310
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