Recently the Rhodes Community Garden team, under the supervision of Dr. Kimberly Kasper, made their culinary debut while helping to raise more than $5,000 for GrowMemphis at its annual fundraiser known as the Garden Party. GrowMemphis is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable local food systems in Memphis through community gardens in areas considered “food deserts.” The Garden Party served as a fundraiser for GrowMemphis’ ongoing and future community gardens.
Rhodes team members are current garden fellows Claire Coulter ’15 and Cierra Martin ’15 and past fellows Taylor Sieben’15 and Catherine Miller ’16. They served their roasted vegetable soup, topped with savory, homemade croutons, alongside renowned local chefs Justin Fox Burks and his wife, Amy Lawrence (The Chubby Vegetarian Blog), Jake Miller (Cultivate Memphis), Jennifer Chandler (Delta Grind) and Laura Norman (Slider Inn).
The soup recipe, courtesy of Catherine Miller (Rhodes student and chef extraordinaire), included autumn veggies such as sweet potato, butternut squash and chives with a vegetable stock and delicious spices. The soup not only was made with vegetables from the Rhodes Community Garden, but also from the produce of the Local Lynx Farmer’s Market vendors. The donators included Russell and Sons (butternut squash), Urban Farms (chives), McMerton Gardens (sweet potatoes), Flower Power (bread) and St. Honore (bread). The team hoped to demonstrate that one can create amazing dishes centered solely upon fresh, local food.
In addition, the fundraiser included live music, a display of GrowMemphis’ community work and a silent auction, which GrowMemphis interns Lauren Hales ’15, Michelle Chiles ’16 and Mary Grace Stoneking ’16 helped organize.
The Rhodes Community Garden team members also serve as volunteers for McMerton Gardens, a GrowMemphis community garden, and their participation in the Garden Party provided an opportunity to “give back” to their collaborative community partner, GrowMemphis, while thanking continued supporters on and off campus..
(information compiled by Cierra Martin ’16)