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Kevin Gillespie stoop in the cool of the evening to mildly pull back the magnificent burgundy parting of red beets , then bares an aha grin as his tattooed branch unearth a key ingredient for a favorite recipe he ’s about to get up . The executive chef and co - owner at Atlanta’sWoodfire Grillwho was a finalist and the “ fan favorite ” in Bravo TV’sTop Chefcompetition , Gillespie could n’t resist an invitation to harvest a sampling of impertinent vegetables , fruit , herbs and edible flush in the new Edible Garden at theAtlanta Botanical Garden , then wangle up a example for guests gathered in its outdoor kitchen .
The new Edible Garden is designed in a serial of three crop circle - inspired garden suite that emphasize upright gardening . pic by : Erica George Dines . SEE MORE photograph OF THIS GARDEN .
After all , this kitchen is a mad scientist ’s culinary science laboratory where some of the realm ’s most acclaim chef will on a regular basis demonstrate to garden visitor how they can ready healthy meals using fresh ingredients gazump just a few footprint from their cooktops . The half - XII guests gathered , just 24-hour interval before the garden ’s May porta , hang on the magnetic Gillespie ’s every watchword as he prepares a dish of farro , bok choy and pureed common beet along with a colourful pansy - garnish spring salad while explaining why he ’s participate in this outcome . “ If you could get people excited , visually , about fresh veg , then you could get them excited about growing their own food for thought , ” he says . “ This blank space certainly does that . ”
The intent of the novel Edible Garden is to not only demonstrate sizable choices and sustainable excogitation , but also to demonstrate to visitor that vegetable and herbaceous plant also make pretty landscape painting plant . The garden will boast giving vegetables 365 days a year , from red beets and orange Brassica oleracea botrytis in belated wintertime and leaping to purple noggin and burgundy Hibiscus esculentus in summertime to a kaleidoscope of apple , pears , figs , raspberries and Vitis rotundifolia in fall . “ eatable garden are the next waving of what ’s becoming pop in gardening across the United States , ” says Mary Pat Matheson , the garden ’s executive director , known for her innovative leadership in create program that keep visitor return to the garden . “ It does n’t anguish that first lady Michelle Obama has moved the idea of growing our own nutrient to the forefront . ”
The first garden room in the Edible Garden is knight the Vegetable Amphitheatre where seasonal harvest fuse with flowering annuals and herbs are showcased . pic by : Erica George Dines . SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS GARDEN .
The $ 2 million project transmute a former ABG parking lot , in the heart of Atlanta ’s Midtown , into unripened space and enhance a city that ’s becoming a leader in the nation ’s local - food movement . The one - acre garden — chiefly designed by Tres Fromme of Dallas - basedMESAdesign house — be three main components : vertical gardening , harvest - lot - like plantings and an outdoor kitchen that becomes a stage for operate programming that also include lessons on wine - and - solid food pairings .
At the garden ’s entrance is an grove of crabapple underplanted with grasses , perennials and electric light . Turn a corner and step into the first of a trio of crop - circle - inspired designs . The “ veggie amphitheater”—named for the direction the raised , slosh beds extend up from the central walkway to a top row of “ seats ” that are espaliered fruit trees — is patterned in spring with red Indian mustard , lustrous - green moolah and sensationalistic violas . The next likewise plant Mexican valium is frame by a 55 - foot - long curved herb wall brimming with more than 2,000 mostly edible plants , from salvia and lemon thyme to rosemary and lavender . The final circle is the out-of-door kitchen pavilion , where hanging baskets planted with tomatoes , herbs and bloom are all within reach of the call in chefs .
Chef Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill collects herbs for a cooking demo . Photo by : Erica George Dines . SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS GARDEN .
“ This newfangled Edible Garden is the consummate inspiration for cooking fresh and local , ” pronounce Mary Moore , CEO of theCook ’s Warehouse , an Atlanta bon vivant depot and pop cooking school . “ Visitors get to see and sample firsthand how delicious it is to cull fruit , herbs and veggie flop out of the garden and turn them into fantastic dishes . It ’s the perfect place to see the concept of ‘ from ejaculate to plate . ’ ”
Perhaps that ’s why Chef Gillespie obtain himself with a imprisoned interview on this Clarence Shepard Day Jr. in the garden . It ’s not all about the celebrity but about the magic of the territory as well .
