Real Naked Food

On April 22, Real Naked Food owner Lauren Yucan wiped down her reconstituted-wood juice counter, cinched her locally made apron, and opened the market’s picholine green doors to the world. (The natural food store’s grand opening was held this year on Earth Day, no less.) The latest storefront to pop up on elevated-hipster, boutique-lined Division Street, it seems to be the perfect fit for granola-chic Wicker Park, predestined to be a quintessential neighborhood landmark, even.


While the name etched into the facade may strike as superficially sexed-up, perhaps the real-est thing about Real Naked Food is the personal passion and research behind it. With degree in nursing, Yucan began working in pharmaceutical sales after college, where she gradually grew disenchanted with the Big Pharma-dominated world of medicine. “The most important thing people can do is do their own research,” she explains. “And as I learned more about the influence that pharmaceutical companies have to push for potentially harmful vaccines and medications, I also discovered similar problems within the food industry.” Thus began an all-out, one-woman crusade – a quest to heal in a different way. “I want to offer an alternative to the processed foods that abound everywhere,” says Yucan, and I find myself thinking about what a charismatic modern-day heroine she is: part science-savvy health professional, part Mother Gaia, part self-empowered entrepreneur. It makes me want to buy her bulk dried fruit and artesian soy candles even more.



In addition to providing options apart from today’s Frankenfare, the store also serves as an alternative to natural-food shopping that’s still widely lacking in Chicago. The difference between Real Naked Food and a Whole Foods is more than just a vast difference in square footage. The store’s personality and part of its appeal, not unlike the Midwestern city it inhabits, is its approachability. There’s a concerted effort to “take away the intimidation factor,” as Yucan puts it.



It’s all about simplicity. From clean ingredient lists to a small amount of offerings per category, the place is set up to make shopping easy and enjoyable. “I don’t think people need more than a few brands to choose from. I just offer the best of the best, the brands that work.” No artificial colors or flavors, no MSG, no GMOs – “unprocessed, unpackaged, unmodified,” as the tagline goes.

You might also add "uncomplicated". Even the store atmosphere is quiet and simple. With smaller, independently owned natural food and health stores you often find overcrowded spaces, narrow aisles flanked by claustrophobia-inducing towers of shelving, hippy-dippy aromas competing for nostril audience. This place is different. It’s open and clean, organically flows within its modest-sized space, and does nothing to assault the senses with a bunch of commercial noise.



Produce is organic or locally sourced as the seasons permit. Breads, preserves, baby food, frozen food, soaps, and body washes, among other things, are also largely locally made. A mini prepared foods section features Real Naked Food ingredients prepared by the chef at Ale House, the pub across the street. It’s all pretty cool, albeit a bit pricey. I give it four out of five crazy straws!

To learn more about the store, the food, their eco-friendly efforts, and upcoming events, check out RealNakedFood.com.

Side Note: If you're interested in more visuals apart from those provided here, I'd suggest just checking out the store in person. Be forewarned, Google images of "real naked food" will only introduce you to a a smattering of photos within a bizarre subset of pornography. There's a picture involving a nude male and several ears of corn that may never be entirely scrubbed from my memory.