See What Farm To Table Looks Like In New York City (Slideshow)
While many New York City restaurants pride themselves on sourcing local produce from the farms of Long Island or New Jersey, few can say they source from their own backyard.
The Players
Farmer Zack Pickens, executive chef Bryan Hunt, and pastry chef Geoffrey Koo all stand in the Riverpark garden.
Ground Cherries
Pickens forages for ground cherries that have fallen off the vine in the garden.
Lemon Verbena
The farm's bounty of lemon verbena waits to be taken into the kitchen.
Tomatillo
A ground cherry hangs on the plant with the city as its backdrop.
Zach Pickens
Pickens, farm manager at Riverpark, has always worked in farming. Before Riverpark he managed various youth-run farmers' markets in the outer boroughs and developed garden programs in schools. He is a certified Master Composter and started the company Rooftop Ready Seeds, a seed packaging companies tailored to New York City urban gardeners.
The Goods
Lemon verbena, tomatillos, and more wait to be prepped in the kitchen.
Burrata
Chef Hunt garnishes the burrata with lemon verbena vinaigrette.
Farm Lettuces & Greens
Chef Hunt plates the greens from the garden.
Plating Dessert
Chef Koo adds some garnish to his basil cream puff dessert.
Cocktails
On the left is Tom's Daughter, made with Rittenhouse rye, yellow Chartreuse, honey, lemon verbena, and cherry tomato, and on the right is The Plant's Physician made with vodka infused with garden chamomile, Lillet Blanc, and lemon.
Buffalo's Milk Burrata
The buffalo's milk burrata is garnished with purple tomatillos, ground cherries, and lemon verbena vinaigrette.
Farm Lettuces & Greens
The big salad is topped with marinated vegetables and champagne vinaigrette.
Basil Cream Puff
The cream puffs are served with farm strawberries, housemade granola with black sesame, and strawberry sorbet.