Go to any restaurant and you're bound to find something on the menu labeled "fresh." At Estia restaurant in Amagansett, New York, owner and chef Colin Ambrose is so committed to having the freshest produce that he built a garden right outside the back door. Host Rebecca Kolls asks Colin about his garden.
Rebecca: Tell us about how this garden got started.
Colin: Six years ago, this land was offered to me by a friend, so I took the opportunity to do something I've wanted to do since I was a little kid. The fact that I have a restaurant is certainly an added bonus. We're able to serve the food we grow to our customers on the same day we harvest.R: Of all your crops here, which one is the most valuable to your restaurant?
C: Basil is one that we use more than any other. We use it daily because we cut the basil back to help it grow into a bushier plant. It also keeps it tasting sweet.
R: Is the produce you grow only used in your restaurant?
C: No, we also supply produce for two other top New York City restaurants.
R: What are some of your favorite plants in the garden?
C: I like Concord lettuce because it has a lighter color in the heat of the summer than it does in the spring. However it fills out a lot more in the spring. It also looks great in the garden and has good flavor. Concord lettuce has a sharp, edgy taste compared to some of the butter-leaf lettuces. It's kind of in-between lettuce and arugula.
Another plant that I'm very excited about is top-set garlic. It's perfect for smaller or city gardens because it utilizes one piece of ground for producing two different products. First it produces a flower with seeds, which are milder on the palate. Many people aren't familiar with them, so it's fun to surprise restaurant patrons with garlic seeds that have been roasted or sautéed. The top-set garlic also produces large cloves out of the ground that I use in cooking.
