By Ty Oneal
People all over Louisville Metro enjoy different varieties of vegetables from their local grocery stores and food markets. However, many grocery stores have a limited selection and/or subpar quality produce. Therefore some people, like our new West Louisville shareholder Mr. Dennis Ohlinger—a friendly man who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS)—are in need of better access to fresh and organic vegetables.
Luckily, Mr. Dennis and his son Ryan discovered their local Fresh Stop Market. Here’s his story:
Q: Where are you from?
A: I am originally from Chicago but my parents moved to Louisville when I was a kid. I’ve been around the Southeast, but I’m currently living here in Louisville.
Q: Are you a family man?
A: Before I was diagnosed with MS, I was an outdoors man. I loved to go camping with my family. I still enjoy family barbecues and just sitting out on the porch enjoying veggies.
Q: How do you like Louisville?
It reminds me a lot of Chicago where I grew up. I enjoy living here.
Q: How did you find out about New Roots?
A: Well I was on my way home with my son, and we happened to look over and saw signs saying Fresh Stop Market. We were curious as to what this was all about, so we looked under the tents and found lots of colorful, nice-looking vegetables. We met the executive director, Karyn Moskowitz, who explained to us the process of getting involved with New Roots and becoming a shareholder. We were excited to get connected with the fresh veggies.
Q: Do you like the people at New Roots?
A: I think that they are genuinely nice and bright spirited people that really care about helping our communities. I really like the tips and recipes on how to cook your veggies and what you can do to enjoy them better.
Q: What neighborhood do you live in?
A: I live in the Portland Neighborhood. It’s sometimes hard to get fresh veggies around here because there’s not many local grocery stores, so I love the Fresh Stop Markets. I try to encourage more people to become shareholders because eating veggies is very important for your health. I still remember my mother’s advice, “eating veggies will help you grow up big and strong!”
Q What Fresh Stop Market do you pick up at?
A: The West Louisville Fresh Stop Market @ Park DuValle, not too far from where I live, which is nice.
Q: What is your favorite vegetable?
A: My favorite vegetables would be steamed broccoli or asparagus.
Q: Do you like certain types of fruit?
A: I like tropical fruits such as watermelon and coconut. I’m also a big fan of grapes and apples.
Q: What is your favorite way to prepare your veggies?
A: I usually blanch the veggies, or cut up some carrots or onions and cook them to make soup, or sometimes just eat my carrots as a snack.
