A 1999 obituary published in the Chicago Tribune described Dr. Alvenia Moody Fulton as “a woman who could soothe the ills” of neighbors and friends in the South Side of Chicago neighborhood “with a cleansing mix of herbs and other natural ingredients.” In 1958 she became founder and director of the Fultonia Health and Fasting Institute and eventually opened Fultonia’s, a combination health food store, restaurant, and herbal pharmacy at 65th and Eberhardt and later relocated to 53rd Street. Fulton’s restaurant had a full menu that included soups, vegetarian chili, brown rice, vegetables, all varieties of fruit and vegetable juices, and whole-grain breads and cakes. Fulton introduced many “to the concept of food as medicine,” writes actress and activist Ruby Dee who knew Fulton well.
