For years, chefs have been extolling the virtues of locally grown foods. These days, however, it isn’t enough to merely buy vegetables at a nearby farmers market. For many chefs, the shortest distance between earth and mouth comes by way of a kitchen garden. From high-tech rooftop operations to herb-stuffed patio containers, it seems that every restaurant in town is growing at least some of its own produce.
The reasons for doing so are as varied as the gardens — and
gardeners — themselves. Sure, the quality of a sun-kissed tomato
is unbeatable. But other restaurant owners see gardening as a way to
connect with both customers and staff. Cost-conscious operators
appreciate the savings, while other chefs simply love to play in the
dirt.
“First and foremost, I love gardening,” says Ricardo Sandoval of
Fat Cats (2061 W. 10th St., 216.579.0200) and Felice Urban
Eatery (12502 Larchmere Blvd., 216.791.0918). “I’ve grown up around
gardens and farms my whole life. And I’ve had an herb garden at Fat
Cats for 10 years.”
One of the most ambitious chef-gardeners, Sandoval tends large
gardens at both restaurants. He converted a vacant plot next to Fat
Cats into a large kitchen garden that doubles as a community garden for
his neighbors. At Felice, he removed 1,800 square feet of sod to make
room for a new vegetable garden. In addition to dozens of herbs and
literally hundreds of tomato plants, Sandoval grows radishes, gherkins,
squash, peppers and eggplant.
“When customers walk outside and see a vegetable garden,” says
Sandoval, “they can assume a certain level of quality. They know the
owner is passionate about food.”
Visitors to Nemo Grille (36976 Detroit Rd., Avon,
440.934.0061, nemogrille.com) are
greeted by a profusion of herbs. There’s mint, chives, basil, rosemary,
sage and chervil, all tucked neatly into pots around the restaurant.
While diners likely appreciate their good looks, owner Bob Niemojewski
appreciates their value.
“Trying to hold fresh herbs is a real challenge at a restaurant,” he
explains. “By growing my own, it’s always there, it’s always fresh, and
I don’t have to buy a half-pound of mint and watch it go bad.”
At his home garden, Niemojewski grows heirloom tomatoes, green
beans, peppers, eggplant, zucchini and squash. Nearly all of those
items find their way into seasonal dishes at the restaurant. During
August and September, every tomato served at Nemo is homegrown. The
ones that don’t get eaten fresh are sun-dried for use well into
fall.
You wouldn’t know it by looking at it, but Tremont’s Lago (2221 Professor Ave., 216.344.0547, lagotremont.com) sports a mighty
impressive rooftop garden. Chef Fabio Salerno grows a wide range of
specialty herbs, heirloom tomatoes and peppers, all of which he
incorporates into dishes served at Lago, Gusto and Grotto. “My mom has
a real green thumb, and we had two and a half acres of gardens growing
up,” says Salerno. “It wasn’t until I got older that I started
appreciating what a treasure it is to have fresh vegetables at your
disposal.”
More than just a means to supplement his menus with fresh,
vine-ripened produce, Salerno sees the gardens as a unique way to
connect with his staff. Everybody from servers to cooks selects special
seed varieties that Salerno germinates indoors before transplanting
into the rooftop garden. “This makes it fun for everybody,” he
says.
Joy Harlor of Le Petit Triangle Café (1881 Fulton
Ave., 216.281.1881, lepetittrianglecafe.com) has
experienced similar benefits. Harlor and her staff cultivate a small
garden behind the Ohio City restaurant. The owner appreciates the
convenience and economy of having fresh herbs at her disposal, but it’s
the camaraderie of gardening that she really appreciates. “Restaurant
workers don’t always have a lot in common,” explains Harlor. “Gardening
is something we can all enjoy doing together.”
Connecting with staff is great for workplace harmony, but connecting
with customers is good for the bottom line. “We could very easily cut
all our mint before service,” says Paul Jagielski, owner of Henry’s
at the Barn (36840 Detroit Rd., Avon, 440.934.6636, henrysatthebarn.com). “But when
customers see the bartender going out to the patio to snip fresh mint
for cocktails, they get a real kick out of it. It’s a great way to sell
mojitos and mint juleps.”
By his calculations, Marc Levine of Bistro 185 (991 E. 185th
St., 216.481.9635, bistro185.com)
could easily buy produce cheaper than he grows it. The consummate
tinkerer, Levine crafted a high-tech rooftop garden nourished by an
automated drip-irrigation system. Buckets and hand-made planter boxes
are filled with 40 tomato plants and countless herbs.
“We don’t do this for the savings, let me tell you,” says Levine.
“We do it strictly for the quality. When you grab a beautiful ripe
tomato fresh off the vine, you can actually tell it’s a fruit and not a
vegetable.”
Beth Davis-Noragon can’t stand to see food go to waste. So each
year, when her backyard pear trees literally sag with fruit, she steps
into action. Davis-Noragon transforms bushels and bushels of fruit into
jams, jellies and butters for use at Grovewood Tavern (17105
Grovewood Ave., 216.531.4900, grovewoodtavern.com).
“The pear tree is pretty much an obligation,” she says. “I would
feel horrible if I just let the fruit rot on the ground.”
This article appears in May 20-26, 2009.
