CC’s Specialty Foods opens inside DeKalb Oasis

DeKALB – Dave Sacks sees the DeKalb Oasis as a unique location to own a business.

“It’s the first in and last out location on I-88 for east-west travelers,” he said. “There’s nothing for them along on that road.”

Sacks, the owner of CC’s Specialty Foods, debuted his shop inside the DeKalb Oasis, 2700 Crego Road, earlier this month. The store’s opening was a goal Sacks had in mind more than six years ago when he started his business.

CC’s Specialty Foods sells many local products, including cookies, baked goods, fresh honey, vinegars, jams and a selection of gluten-free foods. The shop’s hottest item is its Polish kolaczki.

“We have a big emphasis on local products,” Sacks said. “We have a huge variety of pure and raw honeys. We’re very evolutionary and saw a growth and development in local, natural products.”

The company originally started with appearances in different farmers markets around the state. CC’s Specialty Foods often would set up a table at shows, fairs, festivals – any show it could be a sideshow to, Sacks said.

Around DeKalb County, CC’s Specialty Foods has appeared at Kishwaukee Hospital and the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival.

During its first several years of moving from different pop-up shops, Sacks always envisioned opening a full-time table inside an oasis. He views oasis stops as perfect locations to serve different traveling customers. CC’s Specialty Foods debuted its first oasis location last year in Belvidere.

“The oasis locations we have now are five years in the making,” Sacks said. “We give people a place to find stuff in a unique location. We travel to six states and do 70 shows a year. Having our two oasis locations provides a spot where customers can return to on a consistent basis.”

Sacks said CC’s Specialty Foods, specifically its location inside the DeKalb Oasis, hopes to serve both traveling customers and community members around DeKalb County.

Despite the ongoing construction on I-88, the business has enjoyed early success during its first month of operation, Sacks said.

He expects business to pick up even more when construction is completed. Sacks, a Minooka resident, said he’s hired three employees from DeKalb to help run the shop.

“It’s unlike any location out there,” he said. “There’s high unpredictability with traffic during the week. It’s very subject to travel season when more people are on the road.

“But we bring uniqueness to the oasis,” he said. “We’re a local shop that offers local food and we’re competing inside an oasis that is made up of a majority of national brands.”