THE CHASTAIN culinary garden is the heart and soul of the restaurant. Great ingredients, served at their peak, and as fresh as possible is why Chef Christopher Grossman believes that “great food does not start in the kitchen; it starts with the soil and the seeds that are sown”. Our garden serves as a visual reminder of where our food comes from, the hard work that goes into growing it well, and the idea that great ingredients prepared as fresh and respectfully simple as possible can make all the difference on the plate. This is the philosophy behind everything we do at THE CHASTAIN, in an industry, where seemingly every restaurant says it is “farm to table” (with very liberal definitions behind what they actually do).

Everything in the garden can be placed into a few categories when we are deciding what to plant. The first thing we ask ourselves is, can it be eaten or utilized in the restaurant in some way. Second, is it beneficial to pollinators, insects and third, what is the effect on the ecosystem as a whole? By following these basic rules, we create a beautiful, bountiful and beneficial culinary garden that is not only wonderful for our Guests to stroll through and team to learn from but productive for our Chefs.

Within the TC Garden you will find plantings specifically for pollinators, to help increase our yields and other plants which are grown to improve the soil. We only use regenerative gardening techniques, because we feel that “organic” does not go far enough. We grow to compliment our farm partners, and select crops that we can feature for each season. Being able to utilize our spent coffee grounds and ash from our smoker as well as submit to a larger composting organization, gives us pride in what we are able to achieve on our little piece of land.