It is an incredible joy to work with people who want to combine the love of growing vegetables and cooking those harvests for in their restaurant. A number of times we have been asked to help design the landscape that surrounds a restaurant or help design the farm that supplies the food. Each time this is done, care is taken to blend the needs of the chefs in the cuisine offered with what the land can provide.

At this particular restaurant in Albuquerque, the adjacent farm fields and growing spaces were a common after-dinner stroll for the guests. They could see from their table the high tunnel of growing greens, onions, and tomatoes. Fruiting trees and shrubs line the perimeter and the edges of the parking lot. During the summer solstice the sunsets directly down the fields shining into the dining room. A short walk takes the guests to an outdoor theatre for weekly plays and works by local artists. The restaurant is now turned into a destination, a place of contemplation, and frequented multiple times a week by patrons. Behind-the-scenes, compost piles create more soil and cycle nutrients from the kitchens back into the growing zones. Farmers have trays of starters for transplanting the next crop. Although not all of the food can be produced on the site, of course, the ingredients that are bring premium quality to the restaurant and appreciation from the guests. Aside from the obvious foods prepared for the guests, they are also exposed to the possibility of food production on a scale that they themselves see possible.  A community demonstration pleasing to all the senses while also delivering nutrients for health.