Judy’s Story

Growing up on the outskirts of Ingomar, a small town in western Pennsylvania just north of Pittsburgh, Judy developed a deep love of nature and witnessed the role of small businesses in community life. After graduating from college in 1969 with a BA in English, she lived for nearly a year in the remote Alaskan Eskimo village of Chefornak as a VISTA volunteer. Here she had the transformational experience of living in a culture based on sharing and cooperation. During the 1990s, this insight was further expanded by working with the Zapatista revolutionaries in Chiapas, Mexico, to set up a fair trade coffee venture. Her experiences working with small farmers in Chiapas, as well as at home in Pennsylvania, evolved Judy’s vision of a global economy comprised of a network of self-reliant and sustainable local economies connected by small-to-small fair trade relationships.

In working toward this vision for self-reliant local communities, in 2001, she founded the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, www.sbnPhiladelphia.org and co-founded the international Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), now called Common Future, with a focus on driving capital to Black-owned businesses and the nonprofits who serve them.

As an entrepreneur Judy is best known for Philadelphia’s landmark White Dog Cafe, a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, which she founded in 1983 and managed for 26 years. After helping to save her block of Victorian brownstones from demolition to make way for a proposed mall of chain stores, she grew what she began as a tiny muffin shop into a 200-seat restaurant featuring fresh local food. Over the years, White Dog achieved a national reputation for community engagement, environmental stewardship, and responsible business practices. In 2009, Judy sold the company to fully pursue her nonprofit work.

Under Judy’s leadership, White Dog became a leader in the local food movement, purchasing sustainably grown produce from local family farmers, and only humanely and naturally raised meat, poultry and eggs, sustainably harvested fish, and fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. Other business practices she implemented at White Dog include paying a living wage, mentoring inner-city high school students, recycling and composting, solar heated hot water, eco-friendly soaps and office supplies, and purchasing 100% of electricity from renewable sources, the first business in Pennsylvania to do so.

Searching for a vehicle to spread the farm purchasing practices of the White Dog to other restaurants, in 2000, Judy founded Fair Food Philly, which for 20 years ran numerous programs to connect local family farms with the urban marketplace. Both Fair Food and Sustainable Business Network were incubated at White Dog Community Enterprises, and supported by 20% of the restaurant’s profits, customer contributions, and local foundations.

In her retail career, Judy was founder and owner of Black Cat (located next door to the White Dog Cafe), a shop that featured locally made and fair trade gifts for 20 years. In 1970, Judy co-founded the Free People's Store, now well known as Urban Outfitters (with which she has no affiliation).

Wicks’s award winning book Good Morning Beautiful Business: the Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer was published by Chelsea Green in March, 2013 and won the 2014 Gold Metal for "Business Leadership" from Nautilus Book Awards. The book has been translated into both Chinese and Korean.

Judy’s current focus is a micro loan fund called the Circle of Aunts & Uncles, which she founded in 2015 to support local entrepreneurs without family & friends stage capital, and All Together Now Pennsylvania, which she founded in 2019, with a mission to unite rural and urban communities to build resilient, just and regenerative regional economies that are self-reliant in basic needs. ATN-PA is the culmination of Judy’s work to develop local economies, which she feels is urgent in addressing climate change and the vulnerability of long distant supply chains.

Her Recognition

Judy is the recipient of many local and national awards including the University Science Center Innovators Walk of Fame, James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Lifetime Achievement Award, International Association of Culinary Professionals Humanitarian Award, and the Philadelphia Sustainability Award for Life Time Achievement. She has been acknowledged by Oprah Magazine as one of five “Amazingly Gifted and Giving Food Professionals,” Inc. magazine’s “Best Small Companies to Work For,” American Benefactor’s “America’s 25 Most Generous Companies,” Conde Nast Traveler’s “Top 50 American Restaurants Worth Traveling to See,” and commended by the Giraffe Heroes Project.

Judy's received the Bob Edgar Public Service Achievement Award presented by Common Cause PA, Philadelphia PA, May, 2014. Ben Cohen, from Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream addressed the award winners in this video!

Judy has appeared on Nightline, MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, CNN, PBS documentaries, and numerous local TV and radio shows. She and the White Dog Cafe have been featured in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune Small Business, Washington Post, Whole Earth Magazine, Utne Reader, Yes! Magazine, Fast Company, Healthy Living Magazine, Business Ethics Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Chronicle of Higher Education, Resurgence Magazine, Hope Magazine, Sojourner Magazine, In Business, Orion Magazine, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine and the Philadelphia Business Journal. 

Awards

National awards are shown in bold.

Sustainable Pioneer Award - SustainPHILLY 2016

University Science Center Innovators Walk of Fame, Honoree, October 15, 2015

Bob Edgar Public Service Achievement Award presented by Common Cause PA, Philadelphia PA, 2014

Nautilus Book Award for "Business Leadership" category, 2014

Impact Award for Economic Justice - Social Venture Network, 2012

Sustainable Living Leadership Award - Pennypack Farm, 2010

Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009

Adela Dwyer/St. Thomas of Villanova University Peace Award , 2009

International Association of Culinary Professionals Humanitarian Award, 2008

George Bailey Award for community investment, The Reinvestment Fund, 2007

Philadelphia Sustainability Awards, Life Time Achievement, 2007

New Prophetic Voice Award, Shalom Center, 2006

Philadelphia Student Union “Living the Change We Wish to See” Award, 2005

Giraffe Hero, Giraffe Heroes Project, 2005

PA Resources Council Business Award, 2005

James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award, 2005

Spirit of Philadelphia Award, Philadelphia Cares, 2005

Althea Gibson Community Award, 2005

Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Award, Maternity Care Coalition, 2004

First annual Interdependence Award, Democracy Collaborative, 2004

Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) Business Leadership Award, 2004

Arts & Community Award, InterAct Theatre Company, 2004

Investing for the Common Good Award, Philadelphia Area Coalition for Responsible Investment, 2003

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Visionary Award, 2003

Living Economy Award, Business Ethics magazine national Business Ethics Awards,2002

Environmental Education Corporate Sponsor Award, Pa Alliance for Environmental Education, 2002

Caring Business Award, Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, 2002

Champion for Justice Award, Citizens for Consumer Justice, 2002

Wind Powering America Award for 100% wind energy usage, US Dept. of Energy, 2002

Clean Water Fund Award for Outstanding Environmental Activism, 2000

Green Power Award for Commitment to Sustainable Energy, 2000

Civic Leadership Award, League of Women Voters, 1999

Lifetime Achievement Award, Girl Scouts of America, Philadelphia region, 1999

Peace Maker Award, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, 1999

Making a Difference for Women Award, Soroptimist International of Philadelphia, 1999

Domestic Partnership Award, US Agency for International Development (USAID), 1998

Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award, Greater Philadelphia Region National Conference, 1998

Pennsylvania's Best 50 Women in Business, Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, 1996

Bread & Roses Community Fund Award for Philanthropy, 1996

Humanitarian Award, Prisoners' Family Welfare Association, 1996

Business Enterprise Trust Award, 1995  

American Jewish Congress Award, 1995

Paradigm Award, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, 1994

Humane Society Award for Humane & Sustainable Food Choices, 1994

Mellon Bank Good Neighbor Award, 1994

Delaware Valley Entrepreneur of the Year for Social Responsibility, Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch, and Inc. Magazine, 1994 (runner up for the national award)

Distinguished Alumni Award, Lake Erie College, 1994

Women in Leadership Award, Women's Way, 1993

Business Advocate for the Arts, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, 1993

Philly Hall of Fame, Philadelphia Magazine, 1993

Mother-Friendly Business, UNICEF, 1993

First Prize “Most Perfectly Ridiculous,” Henri David Halloween Ball, 1992

Shining Example Award, PhilaPride, Inc., 1992

Human Rights Award, Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, 1991

Acknowledgements

Seventy-Five Greatest Living Philadelphians, award by the Philadelphia Eagles, 2007

Leadership, Inc. “Philadelphia’s Top 100 Connectors,” 2006

Oprah Magazine “5 Amazingly Gifted and Giving Food Professionals,” 2005

Inc. Magazine “25 Entrepreneurs We Love,” 2004

Philadelphia Magazine  “100 Most Powerful People in Philadelphia,” 2000

American Benefactor “America’s 25 Most Generous Companies,” 1998

Conde Nast Traveler  “Top 50 American Restaurants Worth Traveling to See,” 1993

Inc. Magazine  “Best Small Companies to Work For,” 1993