Farming IN the Concrete Jungle
More top chefs are turning to urban farming for sustainability, quality control and community health – but not at the expense of luxury.
Michel Roux Jr, chef patron of London’s two Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, may be from one of culinary history’s most famous classical French families, but he is no stranger to innovation.
As a director of Growing Underground, the world’s first urban farm – a high-tech hydroponic facility in a World War II bomb shelter 100m under the Clapham Common tube station in South London – he has shone a light on the possibilities for growing fresh ingredients within the city. “I was fascinated with the idea of growing produce just around the corner from where I live in London,” says Roux. “I think urban farming is going to get even bigger. We have a lot of suitable unused urban spaces that can become incredibly productive.”
While Growing Underground’s production is still small, Roux uses the subterranean farm’s micro herbs at Le Gavroche, which have a wonderfully intense flavour.
He calls it a chef’s duty to be careful in their choice of ingredients. “I consider quality the most important factor in selecting produce; sustainability is the second consideration,” he says. “I don’t like the idea of flying in luxury ingredients from across the world unnecessarily. However, if the very best caviar comes from, say, China, and if I want to offer my diners the best, then I won’t compromise. But luxury doesn’t necessarily mean indulgence. For me, eating locally grown produce at the peak of the season is a luxurious experience.”
Michelin Guide now includes sustainability in its assessment of each restaurant in its guides.
FOOD MILES BECOME FOOD METRES
Other top chefs are transforming the concrete jungle into green opportunities in different ways.
Simon Rogan opened Roganic in Hong Kong, which was awarded a
Michelin star less than a year after it opened as a city-centric take on his farm-to-table London restaurant of the same name. While in the UK, he set up his own farm rurally in the Lake District. In Hong Kong, he sources plant ingredients from suburban organic farms and edible flowers and micro greens from an inner-city farm.
He also does his own farming right inside the restaurant, significantly reducing his transport footprint, with Evogro, a plant growing system using LED lighting and hydroponics to optimise the growing conditions to suit each crop. It’s monitored and managed by environmental sensors and smart cloud software, and can be controlled by app. There is a camera in each unit, and sensors send automated e-mails in case of any issues.
Inside his three Evogro cabinets, Rogan grows everything from sunflower shoots, Mexican marigold and nasturtiums to mustard cress, beetroot and kale. He uses the sunflower shoots to garnish dill-brined baby cabbage, while the peppery nasturtium leaves uplift his kohlrabi and sticky egg dish. The floral tang of Mexican marigold adds a unique touch to his dill yogurt ice cream.
“Micro greens and edible flowers often don’t travel well – the longer the distance they have to travel, the more flavourless they become. To optimise the flavour, it makes sense to grow our own on site,” he says. “Moreover, the Evogro cabinets make an interesting talking point and play an important role in helping us to better deliver the farm-to-table concept to guests.” FROM FARM TO PLATE IN MINUTES
At De Kas in Amsterdam, one of the world’s first farm-to-table restaurants when it opened in 2001, an impressive 90 per cent of ingredients are sourced locally. The restaurant is located inside an 8m high glass greenhouse in a city park, and is supplied by around 200 different kinds of fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in its garden.
Owner and head chef Jos Timmer