11/03/2021
Matthew Phillip, executive chef of VanDusen Botanical Gardenās Shaughnessy Restaurant, will receive 25 per cent of the vegetables grown this year. A believer in working with what you have available, heās always used the botanicals and herbs abundant throughout VanDusenās property to create unique menu items. Geranium raspberry jam or lemon verbena milkshakes are just a couple of his unique flavour concepts. This year, using the freshly supplied produce, menu items such as cedar-planked salmon with a kale and turnip chickpea fritter and smoked tomato relish were served as part of the restaurantās Taste the Garden series.
Phillip is clear that despite the restaurant receiving the produce
free of charge, a percentage of its market value is returned to the
community through donations to the Vancouver Neighbourhood Food Networks (VNFN) ā a group of community organizations
whose goal is to improve access to healthy, affordable and
nutritious food for everyone.
The remaining seventy-five per cent of the harvest has been given, in weekly increments, to The Gathering Place Community Center. Located in Vancouverās downtown south region, the centreās cafeteria program provides breakfasts, lunches and dinners daily to those on low incomes, people with disabilities, vulnerable youth, seniors and Vancouverās homeless population.
Read "From Botanicals to Edibles" by Jennifer Cole, from our October issue:
https://ediblevancouver.ediblecommunities.com/food-thought/botanicals-edible
