Page 40 - Taste_and_Travel_International

LODGINGS THE OSTHOFF

… What makes us unique

is our ‘garden to guest’

approach to fresh, local food…
USA

no question that what makes us unique is
our ‘garden to guest’ approach to fresh,
local food.”
The main vegetable garden, a
minute’s drive from the entrance, could
be accurately described as a “victory
garden,” as various plants have ultimately
thrived despite the challenges of
woodland critters, insects and
Wisconsin’s famously mercurial climate. It
is here where the gardening team, led by
grounds manager Mark Roehrig, cultivate
several varieties of squash, tomatoes,
potatoes, onions and shallots. Each year,
nearby garden plots and planters.
the team plants new stock, such as
Lola’s on the Lake, the resort’s fine
eggplant, on a trial basis until crops can
dining hub named for Lola Roeh,
hold their own against the elements.
features a view of Elkhart Lake from
Roehrig takes copious notes throughout
its patio and simple dishes made
the growing season, using them to make
more special with items grown in the
calls as to when to harvest or protect
resort’s own garden. It’s the ultimate
various crops that will hopefully make it
expression of Midwestern
to the restaurants, banquet kitchen
pragmatism, with elegant results.
(which prepares feasts for up to 400
“We started this garden project
guests) and the cooking school.
around 2009 with the intention to
“Peppers and tomatoes started the
raise crops to offset the economic
garden, but now our massive garden is
downturn,” says Roeh as she surveys
seeded every year with hundreds of
a small herb-focused plot near the
thousands of plants,” says Roehrig. “It’s
entrance for traces of four-legged
an ongoing challenge to harvest it at the
intruders such as deer and rabbits.
right time, weigh it, clean it off, and bring
“It grew into a two-acre labour of
it to our chefs and culinary staff. In mid-
love now overseen in collaboration
between the grounds department
Otto’s Restaurant (which and the culinary team. We now have
doubles as a cozy sports bar) two acres of gardens, which feed
serves up an unquestionably directly to our restaurants, cooking
Midwestern breakfast, with egg school and even to Aspira Spa for
dishes that incorporate copious some of the treatments. At our Lake
dollops of melted Wisconsin Deck restaurant, which serves
cheddar and parmesan and mojitos, we grow rows of spearmint.
Johnsonville sausages. Healthy fare Just outside of Lola’s, rosemary, basil
prepared with a more delicate hand and other fragrant things are readily
can be found in the Aspira Spa’s available for the chefs. Outside of
café, while several of its treatments the cooking school, we have a
are prepared with chamomile, garden with chives and other things
lavenderand other herbs from used in the cooking school. There’s
38 TASTE;5TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL5 JANUARY–MARCH 2018