Sustainable Auckland eateries take local food to the next level, serving dinner from the farm, on the farm, at Kelmarna Gardens
Ponsonby's Kelmarna Gardens is offering diners the unique opportunity to enjoy their organic produce at its freshest and most local, with a series of on-farm pop-up dinners in partnership with two local restaurants.
The Farm Dinners concept was launched last year and featured two sold-out nights of exceptional food presented by Forest, then a pop-up outfit.
This summer sees the format expand, with Forest (now in permanent premises on Symonds Street) returning for three nights from Wednesday 26 to Friday 28 February, and new partners Ozone Coffee taking up residence for two evenings the following week, on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 March.
Chefs from both restaurants will be putting their creativity to the test, working within the natural boundaries that the garden and the season provide, to present their take on local and sustainable eating.
In both cases, vegetables grown all around the diners will form the focus of the 4-course set menu, with flavours also drawn from foraged ingredients found in Kelmarna’s food forest, and additional ingredients sourced locally and sustainably.
“It's a no-brainer for us to head over and cook with the amazing team at Kelmarna,” explains Joe O’Connell, Ozone’s Executive Chef and Sustainability Co-ordinator. “Inner-city farming initiatives like theirs are critical to sustainably feeding growing populations and we can't wait to profile their produce in the dishes we design. We'll be cooking straight from the garden with an emphasis on plant-led plates, and making sure the experience is one to remember!
For Plabita Florence, chef & owner at Forest, it was also an easy decision to partner with Kelmarna again. "Last year was such a great time! There's something so special about giving people the opportunity to sit down for a meal at Kelmarna, surrounded by plants in the middle of the city, and eating ingredients which were grown metres away from where they're sitting. Highlighting the importance of using local ingredients in relation to climate change and the environment is kind of what we do, and it doesn't get much more local than this."
Dining out in the garden will help raise valuable funds to support Kelmarna’s educational and therapeutic work in the community, with 50% of proceeds from Farm Dinners going straight to the charitable trust.
Farm Dinners with Forest: 26, 27, & 28 February ...Farm Dinners with Ozone: 4 & 5 March. 4-course set menu, $90.
KELMARNA GARDENS, 12 Hukanui Crescent. Visit Kelmarna Gardens on Facebook or www.kelmarnagardens.eventbrite.co.nz
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