WASHINGTON 鈥� Nearly 10 years ago, Cathal Armstrong purchased a small plot of land next to his Old Town Alexandria eatery, . The chef intended to start a hobby garden for his own amusement and to educate his staff on homegrown food.
But over the years, it’s grown into so much more.
Armstrong, who grew up in the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland, got his first taste of gardening when he was a kid. His dad was a hobby gardener, and all six kids were expected to pitch in when it came to maintaining the family鈥檚 2,000 square-foot garden.
鈥淥f course as kids we hated it because he would make us get up at 7 o鈥檆lock in the morning,鈥� says Armstrong, who also has memories of being embarrassed in front of neighborhood friends when trucks of horse manure were delivered to the house and he had to spend afternoons聽wheelbarrowing it around to the garden. 鈥淚t was more of a chore in those years. I didn鈥檛 really realize the attraction to it.鈥�
The garden 鈥� which was packed with plums, rhubarb, leeks, potatoes and more 鈥� started as a pastime, but the family of eight eventually became dependent on it.
鈥淎t one stage, [my dad鈥檚] business closed, so the garden became much more of a necessity than a hobby,鈥� Armstrong says. 鈥淲e lived off聽of it for probably six or eight months until he got into a new business.鈥�
However, it took decades for Armstrong to truly appreciate the garden. After working in the food industry for a few years, he聽took his wife, Meshelle, home to Ireland for the first time. The garden was in full bloom, so the two gathered some fresh peas and potatoes.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember ever eating anything as exquisite in my life,鈥� says Armstrong, who has since cooked for President Barack Obama and the first lady, among many other notable names.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been fortunate to be exposed to all the luxury foods 鈥� caviar, truffles and that stuff 鈥� but nothing was as ethereal as the taste of these fresh potatoes.鈥�
And so he was hooked.
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In many ways, Armstrong鈥檚 Alexandria garden is much like his father鈥檚. He intended for it to be a small side-project, but it has since grown to a point where it helps sustain his restaurant. Its fruit trees, herb bushes and vegetable plants inspire dishes on the ever-changing menu.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a small space, but similar to what my father was doing, we pack a huge amount into it,鈥� says Armstrong, who spends about an hour a day in the restaurant鈥檚 fenced-in garden. 鈥淲e change the menu here every day anyway, and a lot of it is just driven by what I get. The garden will be the deciding factor about how a dish works.鈥�
If horseradish is ready, it completely changes how the kitchen thinks about and prepares its steak dish. Armstrong says the obvious choice is to make a horseradish cream, which leads to a Bordelaise sauce and Yorkshire pudding.
鈥淎nd there you鈥檝e created a dish based on one ingredient, and that happens a lot to us.鈥�
If a product for the garden isn鈥檛 the deciding factor for a dish, it鈥檚 likely the garden is still present on the plate, either as an added bite of flavor or a garnish.
鈥淲e鈥檒l even find ourselves picking throughout dinner service from the garden and getting it from the plant immediately into the food. The aroma, the flavor is intense. It really can鈥檛 be understated 鈥� it鈥檚 dramatic the difference in taste,鈥� Armstrong says.
Just as the garden fuels Restaurant Eve鈥檚 busy kitchen, Armstrong says the kitchen feeds his garden. Vegetable peelings and raw scraps that don鈥檛 make the cut for stocks and sauces are composted; cooked food waste goes into a wormery, which eventually fertilizes the garden.
Armstrong鈥檚 restaurant garden has become the backbone of his kitchen, but it鈥檚 also given him a platform to educate others outside the restaurant. He , along with other local chefs, for her Let鈥檚 Move! initiative, and started a nonprofit, called , to improve the school lunch system.
Over the years, he鈥檚 found the garden to be a great way to get kids excited about fresh and healthy foods. He says enlisting the help of little ones in the garden encourages them to try things they might otherwise refuse 鈥� like radishes.
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 a big part with kids is just convincing them to try something and then reinforcing it,鈥� says Armstrong, who has two children of his own. 鈥淭he excitement of seeing things grow is a great way to introduce kids to food.鈥�
Armstrong recently announced plans to open an in 2018. And while he might not have the luxury of space for a large garden, Armstrong says he will still look for a way to grow his own fresh food, whether in potted plants, in window boxes or on the roof.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not really something I could live without at this stage,鈥� Armstrong says about a garden. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long romance with the garden for me, and I didn鈥檛 realize that it was a romance until years later when I was separated from it.鈥�
