National Culinary Review

that weren’t round so people quit using them. You just need to accept the bumps and lumps and cut around the bug holes and not throw something away.” Taylor Boudreaux, executive chef for Napa Valley Grille in Westwood, Calif., says he has seen the local food movement catch on in the past five years. “That’s what the general public really wants now. A lot of times, restaurants can probably buy something cheaper, but of a lesser quality. When you buy something in season, you get better quality and a better price than when it’s not in season, which helps keep menu costs down. You have to be smart about how you buy at the farmers market.”

chef gardens

While many chefs frequent farmers markets and forge relationships with local farmers, an increasing number of chefs are tending their own gardens.

Even in urban locations, chefs such as Valeria Benner, sous chef for Lockwood Restaurant & Bar at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, have found ways to grow their own produce. Lockwood has a 2,000-square-foot rooftop garden on the 25th floor of the Palmer House Hilton. “This is our second year for the garden,” says Benner. “Last year was a trial run, and the garden provided us with 10-15% of our produce. This year, I’m aiming for 33%.” Benner grows climbing plants, such as zucchini, cucumbers, radishes, sugar snap peas and hyacinth beans. The garden also features a variety of bell peppers, heirloom carrots, heirloom tomatoes and greens, including sorrel, arugula and red oak lettuce. There is also an assortment of herbs and chili peppers.

“Guests love to hear I’m a farm girl working in the city,” Benner says. “They ask a lot of questions about our rooftop garden. It’s not open to the public yet, but I hope it can be one day. I would like to see more rooftops here used for something ecologically smart, like solar panels, urban farming or water reclamation.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Soby’s

“Everything is planted and arranged using companion planting techniques, so that plants that do well together are close to one another,” says Benner. “But we had to move the tomatoes and peppers to a different end of the garden when we realized a skyscraper was blocking some of the afternoon and evening sun.” Menus at Lockwood Restaurant & Bar and the hotel’s Potter’s Lounge both feature items showcasing produce from the rooftop garden, such as a chef’s garden entree and farmers market breakfast entree with farm-fresh eggs.

Benner is also planning to add beehives for honey this year. “We are still in the planning phase, but we are working with the Chicago Honey Co-op. They say we have the ideal setting for roof-based hives, as bees would have a perfect flight pattern to fly out toward nearby gardens without anything in their way. I’ll be bringing in Italian bees, and have two small hives for practice this summer. When our hives are in full production, we could very well produce about 20 gallons of honey annually.”