Providing the best possible service is one of the main goals of food businesses, so it is essential to offer quality products to achieve it. If your business is different from a food truck, having a culinary garden stands out as a great alternative, as it guarantees the freshness of the ingredients.
From fruits and vegetables to greens, tubers and herbs, you can grow whatever you like; at the same time, you can complete your inventory by purchasing food from suppliers. This will offer you varied dishes; that is why it is important to have a direct relationship with distributors, in order to achieve higher quality of products.
Keep in mind that, although the restaurant gardens trend is growing, it is best to start according to the space, time and budget you have. It is an excellent option doing it gradually. Fernando Córdoba, chef at El Faro del Puerto in Spain, explains that the creation and conservation of a garden area requires dedicated employees, besides, all materials necessary to maintain it such as fertilizers.
The practice of cultivating food takes place in different cities, specifically on spaces like the rooftops. This is the case of Las Raices del Wellington restaurant, the world’s largest urban garden, located in one of the most expensive corners of Madrid, at the Wellington Hotel.
Many diners attracted by the produce from the hotel’s private garden come to this establishment, where they use organic fertilizers instead of pesticides. Javier Librero, chef of the restaurant, points out that both the construction and the maintenance of the garden are expensive.
Joxean Eizmendi, the chef and owner of the Illarra restaurant, located in Spain, highlights the advantage of growing and having fresh food. They do not need the use of preservatives on their food, which has a positive impact on customers’ health. The establishment allows guests to pick the ingredients they want for the preparation of their dish directly from the garden.
On the article “A garden in the restaurant”, from the web page www.planetahuerto.es, a list of recommendations for gardening are introduced. It states that, if you are looking for aromatic plants, the best way to do it is to plant them in a space where they receive sunlight.
Grow tables are the perfect method for vegetables, their rolling bench system make them practical; they are also a decorative element which allows diners to see the food.
Vertical gardens will be your great ally if you have a reduced space. For this technique, the article suggests to have a proper irrigation system, so the water can pass from one plant to another; it can be very useful to install microtubes.
Grow boxes are useful tools which consist of a structure made of wood that allows to delimit the workplace.
It should be mentioned that, in Noma, the best restaurant in the world, located in Copenhagen, they grow their products according to the seasons, resulting in a varied menu. You can follow this example by adapting it to your situation, such as having a small garden with the foods that are best produced in the climate of the locality where you are.
There is also the case of Punto MX, a professional Mexican food restaurant located in Madrid. In order to guarantee the quality of the dishes and shorten the distance between continents, they bring the raw material from Mexico and grow their products such as chilies and tomatillos (Mexican husk tomato).
SUD 777 is another Mexican restaurant we should learn from. They cultivate many of the ingredients used in the menu. Edgar Núñez, the owner and listed as one of the best Mexican chefs, highlights the importance of business profitability, teamwork and creativity. Nuñez states that the variation of the climate can affect the dish.
The Spanish restaurant Azurmendi teaches us sustainability, a valuable aspect in entrepreneurship. The kitchen is supplied with their produce, which is watered with rain water they collect. The roof of the building’s restaurant holds a vegetable garden and a greenhouse area.
In view of the foregoing, having a garden in your restaurant represents a beneficial alternative that will allow you to guarantee the excellence of your preparations. In this sense, starting your gastronomic venture with a small garden is a great option that you can expand to the extent possible.
By following these tips, you will have the reward of a successful garden in your restaurant. As you know, this will allow you to preserve the freshness of the ingredients and achieve the satisfaction of serving the customer a quality and memorable dish.
In addition, you will stand out as a culinary entrepreneur who knows about cooking and gardening. You will have the ability to handle different and creative recipes, and also to adapt and manage the seasonal changes that may affect your harvest.