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:^HU *YLLR *VTT\UP[` .HYKLU PZ H THY]LS VM NSVIHS ]LNNPLZ HUK [LJOUPX\LZ By Kathleen Merryman kathleen@tacomaweekly.com

The garden was the first given at the start of Swan Creek Park’s master planning. However the community decided to use the long, lovely swath of green and stream, the Salishan community garden would be part of it. In 1992, it rose from the stony soil just inside the park at South 42nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue. Over two decades it has produced the taste of home for gardeners from all parts of the United States, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the old Soviet Union, South America and Africa. It also brought people into the park, people who, by their presence alone, discouraged bad behavior. “It’s a big part of the Master Plan,� said Doug Fraser, Metro Parks Tacoma’s chief planning manager. “It’s very important as an opportunity to make inroads back into the park.� That involved heavy equipment last year. During the demolition and reconstruction of Salishan, the garden shut down but the blackberries didn’t. “2004 was our last really big year,� said Sue Bernstein, who has helped manage it from the start. “People were moving out of that upper area.�

PHOTOS BY CEDRIC LEGGIN

65, +,30*06<: (*9,. Swan Creek Community Garden is a treasure map of great gardening ideas. Look, but don’t take the produce.

The garden went fallow in 2005. It reopened last year, ripe with improvements, compliments of voters who approved Metro Parks Tacoma’s 2005 bond. There are water standpipes at both ends of the long rows. There are fresh layers of TAGRO and TAGRO mulch dug into the soil.

Unlike the old galvanized fence, the new powder coated version will not drip dissolved zinc into the soil – and it has a mesh critter barrier at ground level. Theurt Chhun and his wife, Phalla Chhun, were among the first to sign on for a 50-by-10foot plot on the shy acre. They

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Are you and your employer up for the challenge of a workplace garden? If so, we want to hear from you. Tell us the kind of space you have, the work you do, and why you think a garden is a good fit. Let us know how you decided the size and form. Are you going raised bed or in-ground? What is your planting medium? Will you go with food, flowers or a combination? What will you do with the things you grow? What’s your position on garden art? Do you fear gnomes? How about clown gnomes? Over the summer, we will share tips and award prizes. Let us know what you’re growing at work at kathleen@tacomaweekly.com.

rigged a low arbor, and pumpkins and Korean cucumbers climbed all over it. They put up poles, and long beans favored in Cambodian cuisine scampered up them. They made a patch for lemon grass, and another for eggplant, and banana peppers. They grow the herbs for traditional pickles they serve with fish, and the greens for soup. They save seeds for next year. “I pull out, cook and eat,� Theurt said of the veg. “I give to my friends. All the friends come here. We all talk together.� Theurt walked 15 feet across one garden and arrived in Russia, rich with potatoes, beets, cabbages and beans. “They are from Soviet,� he said of his neighbor gardener. “They plant different countries. They bring their own countries. Russia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Middle East.� The garden is fully booked, with 57 plots, said Bernstein.

She managed the old version, also perpetually booked, when she worked for Washington State University and partnered with Tahoma Food Systems. The gardens were the draw when she worked with young people who later built their own community garden across Portland Avenue and sold their produce, and honey, at farmers’ markets. She has taught canning techniques to adults. “Kids grew up in the gardens,� she said. “The focus was always on building community and family.� And on hauling stones. “When they were putting in the irrigation, they brought up a lot of rocks,� Bernstein said of the new garden. “A sea of rocks.� That explains the broad pile of smooth river stones outside the gate. Bernstein is leery of sharing the wonders of the Swan Creek garden. In the past, publicity has drawn vegetable thieves who don’t realize, or care, that the produce represents families’ food security. Tacoma Weekly readers are better than that. Tacoma Weekly readers would not steal from the people Bernstein so admires. “I keep thinking of garden stories, such as the grandparents of one garden family who are visiting from the Ukraine, and their joy of also working in the garden, and their anticipation of eating ‘clean potatoes,’ ones grown without pesticides. Ukrainian potatoes are especially laden with pesticides,� she said. Last year, she met a Kenyan family. “They were able to continue eating their harvest, taking the final frozen packages to eat just before the start of this garden season,� she said. To the people who work it, this garden is as much a part of their budget as their paycheck. It is health, freedom from hunger, and a celebration of the diversity that makes Tacoma work.

Local Restaurants EDISON CITY DINER LIGHTS UP SOUTH TACOMA WAY By Kate Burrows kburrows@tacomaweekly.com

Located right on the main drag on South Tacoma Way, Edison City Diner has slowly become a favorite among locals and regulars, but for the rest of Tacoma, this classic diner just might be the biggest hidden gem in the city. Run by owner and chef Leian Susee and daughter Mikaela, Edison City Diner opened in August offering fresh, classic diner favorites including the restaurant’s famous Reuben, hand-made chicken fried steak, homemade soup and more. Each item is made from scratch, either from an old family favorite recipe or from the imagination of the chef herself. Susee grew up in the industry watching her parents run their own restaurants, but made a career for herself as a sales executive, allowing her to travel the world. As she climbed the corporate ladder, she never forgot about her foodie ways and regularly attended food expos and industry events. She spent seven years working in Australia, where she became great friends with a renowned French chef who spent time coaching her on the cooking techniques of his home country. After moving back home and settling down, she became a victim of the economy and was displaced from her sales position. Instead of wallowing in her unemployment, she decided to put her classically trained cooking skills to the test by designing an online business selling her homemade pies, cakes and cobblers. The demand for these handcrafted GHVVHUWV ZDV GHÀQLWHO\ WKHUH EXW ZLWK RSHUDWLQJ FRVWV WR deal with, she was barely breaking even. But as she learned of a space for lease on South Tacoma Way, she decided to throw her hat in the ring and offer something different – a classic, old-fashioned diner that refuses to cut any corners.

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Since 1917, that particular space has been home to a diner of some sort – Susee even estimates that the stools set up right along the counter have been around since the V DFFRUGLQJ WR FXVWRPHUV¡ VWRULHV ´:H WU\ WR UHĂ HFW the era of this restaurant,â€? she said. “We’re not a bistro or a coffee shop or a cafĂŠ. We are a diner.â€? And while many bigger restaurants can be seen receiving orders from national food distributors, Susee can be found shopping around local farmers markets and other shops around town to stock the kitchen. “Nothing comes out of a can around here,â€? she laughed. “We like to stick with the food that a true diner should offer.â€? Some of the tried-and-true diner favorites include corned beef hash and eggs, completely made from scratch VHUYHG ZLWK \RXU FKRLFH RI WRDVW (QJOLVK PXIĂ€Q RU ELVFXLWV and three eggs any style, $10.95), clubhouse (a tripledecker sandwich, served with three layers of toasted bread spread with mayonnaise, piled high with lettuce, cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, ham, turkey, bacon and tomato,

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$10.95) and clam chowder (a fan favorite served only on Fridays, a cup for $2.50 or $3.25 for a bowl). All bread for the sandwiches comes from a local bakery, and she also works with a number of local vendors for dairy products, coffee and more. Edison City Diner is located at 5640 South Tacoma Way. There is ample parking in the back of the restaurant. Regulars can take advantage of a frequent diner card, which gives customers a free entrĂŠe after purchasing 10 meals. Customers can also purchase whole pies, cakes and cobblers from the restaurant, and take-out options are also available for anyone who is on the run. For more information about Edison City Diner, call (253) 473-1517.

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