Here at ABC Home it had been our long-time dream to establish a values-based restaurant – you cannot have a home without a kitchen, right? Our collaboration with Jean-Georges in the creation of ABC Kitchen manifested that idea into today’s reality. Certainly, the slow food movement is gaining traction fast in restaurants in NYC and across the nation and while farm-to-table may have started out as a trend, we at ABC, while realizing this dream, simply saw it as ‘the way.’
Last week, we took you on an ABC Kitchen field trip with Chef Dan on one of his many weekly visits to the Union Square green market; but we have also been moving the farm a little closer to the table.
So, earlier this year, the first seed fell from Jean-Georges’ hand and was tucked ten stories above Broadway in ABC’s rooftop garden. What began as an obvious mission has really bloomed into a special, realized vision. Chef Dan, beverage expert, Christine Ra, and many members of our ABC Kitchen staff have taken a vested interest in curating and caring for our plot. They scoured the farmer’s market for local seeds. Additionally, to aid the effort, farmers that we’ve worked with over the years, like Stokes Farm, donated compost and seeds. Graciously even, one in-house bartender, Randi, and her family, originally from Georgia, in true team spirit, donated seeds from their heirloom tomatoes – seeds that have remained pure for years. (These tomatoes have been our healthiest and strongest!)
Still maintained today by ABC staff with their desire for good, clean, fun and dirty work – our garden is now bustling with peppers, tomatoes, chiles, and herbs such as mint, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, basil, lavender, sage that we can pull into our cuisine.
We just updated our seasonal cocktail with an herb infusion syrup from the garden. Stop in and refresh with the Peach Fizz Wine Cooler this week at ABC Kitchen and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
-shari monique gab
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