The phrase of “products with purpose” is finding its way into more news stories, more discussions within a company—including at The Chef’s Garden and the Culinary Vegetable Institute—and into more conversations with customers.

At The Chef’s Garden, we’ve been talking about sustainability in agriculture for a really long time—and doing far more than just talking about it, putting our philosophy into daily practice. We’re encouraged to see how this subject is becoming a key part of the conversation about the future of food and, as the discussions continue, the language we use about food and sustainability naturally keeps evolving.

Practical experience and the knowledge to confidently start his own farm are the most valuable mementos Robert Lagrosas carried back to his native Philippines.

Inspiration Flows from Farm to Kitchen With fresh vegetables for toys, Chef Tony Dee and some fellow culinary playmates from Landry’s restaurant company spent three days recently having nothing but fun at The Chef’s Garden and the Culinary Vegetable Institute.

Looking Back While Moving Forward

When Farmer Lee picks the first tomatoes of the season, he admits that he will “plunk that very first handful into my mouth.” And, as the juice dribbles down his chin, he shares that this experience absolutely screams summer to him. “As I smell the tomato leaves as I walk towards the vines,” he says, “and as I smell the soil and feel the sun on my back, the experience is purely spiritual. It’s about that miracle, the miracle that happens when God gives us a seed and then it turns into such a majestic, glorious gift.” (Farmer Lee Jones, during the summer of 2018)