HUNTSVILLE – G.W. Chew was born with a mission to demonstrate access to healthy foods. Adopted at birth into a family with the last name Chew, his calling to be a chef seems almost predetermined.
“My dad literally was one of the last generation of sharecroppers in Southern Maryland, a tobacco sharecropper,” he said. “We had a lot of traditional southern comfort food, you know, fried chicken breast with corn chops, ham and squirrel every now and then, that kind of stuff.
“We ate a lot, we ate really good.”
Today, Chef Chew is a celebrated vegan chef, restaurateur and food manufacturer with plant-based products on the shelves of Whole Foods, the largest American chain of supermarkets that specializes in natural and organic foods.
Chew said he became a vegetarian at age 18 after seeing family members suffering from diabetes and cancer.
“I began to develop recipes, and started developing my own plant-based protein products,” he said. “It became my passion that turned a hobby into an obsession.”
Chew’s popular creations are now referred to as “Everyone’s Favorite Vegan Comfort Food,” a credit to his “country” raising.
Originally, Chew got his manufacturing business off the ground in California. But that didn’t last.
“The challenge that I realized is that California is a good place to start a business, but it’s a really difficult place to maintain a business because of the costs,” said Chew. “It’s like everything is heightened times two, literally.
“It became unsustainable to build a manufacturing business in California long-term.”
Enter the Rocket City.
“I moved out here in August of 2023,” he said. “Huntsville is one of the top places to live in the country and has a strong Seventh-day Adventist Church community built up around Oakwood (University).”
Chew’s experience with Community Development Financial Institutions in California led him to the North Alabama Revolving Fund (the Loan Fund), a Neighborhood Concepts subsidiary in Huntsville.
“We are focused on equitable housing opportunities, creating equitable housing opportunities, while also creating economic pathways for small businesses to grow and thrive in North Alabama,” said NCI Executive Director Mary Ellen Judah.
The Loan Fund is a CDFI which provides financial services in low-income communities and to people who lack access to financing.
“Neighborhood Concepts was formed in 1988,” said Judah. “We were initially tasked with developing affordable housing. And as we have grown, we’ve recognized that in order to really build strong neighborhoods, you also have to have access to economic opportunity.”
Judah said they have made 206 loans to small businesses in North Alabama.
“We made our first loan in 2013 and since then we have made approximately $15 million in loans,” Judah said.
“50% of our loans have been made to African American owned businesses and roughly 18% to low income owned businesses. And 46% of our loans have been made to businesses owned by women.”
Chew’s food manufacturing business in Huntsville is one of those loans.
“Through the work of the Loan Fund, we are able to seed local businesses that might not otherwise be able to start or grow their business while also creating jobs and services within our community,” said Judah.
“We were thrilled to support Better Chew in the relocation of their business to Huntsville and proud to help support the continued diversification of our local economy through this loan and those to other local entrepreneurs.”
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