Oshawa restaurant owner grows food for community
Posted: August 22, 2013
Categories: Food in the News
Logo via thetablebycarol.ca
A local businesswoman in Oshawa, Ontario is demonstrating the power of community gardens in fostering a healthier, more ecological local food system.
Carol Cavallari is the owner of the Table, a restaurant specializing in serving dishes made entirely from local ingredients. In fact, many of the local ingredients used by Cavallari’s restaurant come from her very own garden. Anything from her garden that is not used by Cavallari’s restaurant is offered to the public for free. Durham Region summarizes this unique local venture:
You can’t miss Carol Cavallari’s house. The Oshawa business owner’s front yard stands a few feet taller than the neighbouring lawns on Grandview Street.
From an apple tree to a kale patch, roughly 1,500 square feet of Ms. Cavallari’s property has been transformed into a community garden that she refers to as her humble garden.
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Ms. Cavallari is the owner of The Table, a downtown Oshawa restaurant that serves dishes made of locally grown ingredients. Half of the yield of her garden goes to her restaurant, while the rest is offered free to the public. Since health and sustainability are a focus of her business, non-genetically modified and organic seeds are used in the community garden.
Ms. Cavallari hopes to lead by example, showing that local communities can take control of their own food source in a way that is both environmentally friendly and a boost to local businesses:
If there’s one thing Ms. Cavallari hopes for, it’s to start a trend. Along with running her restaurant and creating volunteer opportunities in the community, her eyes are now set on planting a dozen trees and a dozen berry bushes on city land across from her property.
“If you want to grow a garden and you need help, I will find you the help,” she added. “I will come and dig.”
Anyone interested in participating in the community garden can contact The Table at 289-240-8720 or visit thetablebycarol.ca.