Topsoil’s cuisine is rooted in locally grown produce
The zinnias are the first indication that there is something new blooming outside Topsoil Restaurant. Step closer to the newly planted edible garden that sits just adjacent to restaurant’s back porch, and you see the rows of tarragon, dill, basil, tomatoes, and fairy tale eggplant, each blossom helping tell a part of the Topsoil story.
The newly built raised beds provide more than 800 square feet of growing space for the Michelin-recommended restaurant, but they also represent something larger. They are integral to Topsoil’s efforts to be a zero-waste restaurant and to illustrate what a truly sustainable food system looks like.
“Sustainability is really important to us, but you have to figure out models that work,” says Wendy Lynam, owner of Topsoil Restaurant. The garden, she says, is “a billboard of what we are about.”
The garden comes as Topsoil, after seven years in business, is growing as well. Last spring, Lynam sold the farm formerly used for Topsoil and channeled the funds to purchase Topsoil’s building and property.
Last summer, the restaurant underwent renovations that doubled the size of the kitchen and created a new dedicated bar and lounge space up front. The old bar is now a chef’s counter where diners benefit from an intimate tasting experience.
The garden is another piece of the Topsoil’s evolution and sustainable future. It will provide food and eventually will be fueled by compost created from the restaurant’s food waste.
Topsoil garden designer
Chris Miller, owner of Horseshoe Farm and the edible landscaping business Yeah, That Garden Guy, designed and built the garden that boasts 50 varieties of herbs and produce.
He will continue to work closely with Topsoil as the farm and sustainability manager. Using data systems, Miller is measuring and recording the restaurant’s processes, from recycling to composting and garden production to water usage.
“I’ve always thought Adam (Cooke) was the most talented chef in the region,” says Miller, who has been selling his Horseshoe Farm produce to Topsoil for six years. “I get excited to see what they are wanting to do. I want to blend a utilitarian, functional farm with efficiency and with his beautiful plating so we can marry the two.”
Executive chef Adam Cooke and his team work directly with Miller, allowing Topsoil to grow many ingredients for its menu just steps from the kitchen. While Topsoil will continue to purchase ingredients from local producers, the garden helps supply herbs, garnishes, edible flowers, and seasonal produce as well as more experimental varietals, pushing the culinary team to cook with a broader palate and a deeper appreciation.
“Education in the growing of the food is something most cooks don’t really get,” Cooke says. “It was always so important to me learning to cook, and now, I’m really excited to watch a new generation of cooks go out and hold this close and not just get roped into the ease and convenience of the existing food systems.”
Miller spent about three months building the robust garden for Topsoil. The effort included leveling the uneven terrain, pouring 40 tons of gravel, building the cedar beds, and curating the plants. He will work directly with Cooke and his team to curate the garden with tried-and-true ingredients as well as some experimental ones.
At Topsoil, Miller’s design optimizes the growing space and leans on a symbiotic crop rotation to attract beneficial insects that keep pests at bay without the use of pesticides or chemicals. “It can take all season to grow an eggplant or pepper,” Cooke says.
With heat and drought and pests to contend with, they may plant 20 eggplants and just four survive. “So those will not just get chopped up and sauteed,” Cooke says. “We will create a dish around those and show that they are special.”
Plant-Based Supper Club
Before there was Topsoil Restaurant, there were Adam Cooke’s plant-based dinners. The chef started the series in 2018 when he was working out of the tiny kitchen at Due South Coffee Roasters. The dinners were a chance to challenge himself culinarily while celebrating local produce.
Today, the series has evolved into a bimonthly vegan culinary delight. Each multicourse dinner highlights a local fruit or vegetable that Cooke and his team build upon with each dish. The process requires patience and creativity to find the nuance of each ingredient.
“It is not focused around a piece of meat and what goes with it,” Cooke says of the plant-centered cooking. “It’s way more work, because everything needs so much more attention. Roasting a duck breast is way easier.”
Past dinners have highlighted tomatoes, mushrooms, berries, garlic, and squash. And yes, this meant that mushrooms and garlic were incorporated into desserts.
Each dinner also includes a curated wine pairing that also highlights a local producer. The connection to the producers is imperative, Cooke says. “To really grow our food scene, we have to work to support these local farms,” he says.
