Edible Gardening

THROWING OUT ‘PERFECT’ TO LET PASSION GROW

BY LEILANI OLYNIUK

wo years ago, we were all forced to take a pause and rediscover things that bring us T joy. For some, that was jumping on the Banneton-bandwagon to nurture a sourdough starter and perfect our scoring technique.

For others, it was a chance to get back to our roots, appreciate a little dirt under our nails and cultivate a garden that could nourish not only our bellies, but our souls too. Planning and selecting seeds to plant, grow, and harvest is daunting for some, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be meditative and cathartic, joyful even (and who doesn’t need that these days?!).

For the most part, we’re detached from the origin of our food; we don’t know who grew it or where it came from. So, seeing a chef in their crisp whites saunter out to the garden with shears and a bowl to cut fresh greens and herbs for a seasonal salad not only creates an idyllic scene, but delights diners in an unmatched way. That’s because a lot of us are yearning for a simple life that offers a chance to connect with something and someone. Restaurateurs worldwide have adopted the garden-to-table philosophy to reignite a chef’s passion for fresh ingredients and inspire menus that celebrate bright, bold, and beautiful flavours.

In 2015, Paul Shufelt of Workshop Eatery in Edmonton, fell in love with a space for his new restaurant venture without knowing what kind of dining experience would come to life. The LEED Platinum certified building that housed his restaurant was required to have a certain portion of edible landscaping. And so he and his chefs found themselves taking advantage of a unique opportunity to lean into what was flourishing in the garden space to influence menu items and daily specials that feature an abundant crop. Boasting 21 beds of varying sizes, diners enjoy garden-fresh produce that is transformed into stunning dishes by agile chefs who tweak recipes on the fly to highlight seasonal flavours.

Born, raised, and trained in Austria, chef Tobias Larcher travelled the world to expand his culinary horizons before putting roots down in Canada. First as a Chef de Cuisine, and now Executive Chef, he heads up all the food and beverage outlets at Heritage Park. Flowers abound

in the historical village, but the vegetable gardens are expertly cultivated and serve as a way of educating visitors, and culinary students. The Field-to-Fork series, sadly suspended through covid, offered a behind-the-scenes garden tour before enjoying a four-course dinner that shone a spotlight on produce plucked from the grounds. Chef Larcher and Heritage Park’s head gardener, Rachel Spencer, are happily preparing for this delicious, immersive dining experience to launch again at the Selkirk Grille in Summer 2022.

Mike Soucy, a trained chef and lover of uncommon vegetables, has been experimenting in the garden for a decade. Weird, rarely-grown, sometimes-neverheard-of vegetables ignited a passion in him to start a small-scale farm business. He invited friends to get their hands dirty with him and sold produce in a weekly CSA box. Recipients were wowed with weekly surprises and challenged to cook with rare and remarkable garden treasures.

Today, with partner Tim Houghton, they cultivate botanicals, hard-to-find culinary herbs and edible flowers in two hoop houses, raised beds, and plots on a farm south of Calgary. The focus of Marigold MFG is on culturing fermented goods, specializing in small batch vinegars and condiments. They found the most vibrant and stunning flavours in long-forgotten ingredients like lovage and nasturtium. It transformed the way they thought about growing food and combining flavours to create something extraordinary.

It doesn’t take much to elevate your own home-cooking, even if you don’t have a green thumb or culinary training. Each of these chefs embrace a sense of creativity in the kitchen that has them throwing out rigid recipes and playing around with the fruits and vegetables of their labour. And when asked what recommendations they have for the home-gardener and food-lover, they all echoed the same message: expand your horizons, throw away the recipe, discover flavours that excite you, don’t overcomplicate it, grow what you like to eat, share bumper crops with your

Chef Paul Shufelt Chef Tobias Larcher

neighbours, and always grow herbs.

There are no mistakes when it comes to cooking food that you love. And there is no reward or gratitude greater than when you share a meal that started as a seed you planted with your favourite people.

This summer, may you breathe in that fresh garden smell as you brush off the soil from your hands and let the sun shine on your face as you dream of the delicious things you are going to create.

Wife, mother, food lover. Leilani has a diverse background in marketing and brand, copywriting and communications and applies her skills to helping businesses flourish as a Growth Manager at Everbrave Branding Group.

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