Hotel Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth
 |
All executive chefs will tell you as much; the quality and freshness of foods on a menu are proof of excellence. The hotel Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in downtown Montréal embraces this culinary philosophy by serving healthy, savoury dishes with the utmost respect for the environment. Would you be surprised to learn that many ingredients come from the garden located atop the hotel’s main roof… on the 22nd floor?
A Secret Garden Deep in Downtown Montréal
It isn’t possible to visit this secret garden. But guests at the hotel can already taste the difference in their plates. Since the month of May, the garden has already provided different kinds of eggplant, plum tomatoes, beets, peppers, Swiss chard, endive, radishes, zucchini, Montréal melons and several kinds of mint and basil for amazing results!
This urban garden gets perfect sun for growing food. The hotel has opted for a container culture technique developed by experts from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Its drip system and water reserve provide optimal conditions that encourage plant growth.
A Gust of Green in Urban Settings
Hotel Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth
 |
At Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, finding healthy locally produced foods has been important to chefs in their daily routine for a long time. Indeed, several smaller such projects existed on the hotel’s small terraces, which were sometimes difficult to access.
Today, Executive Chef Alain Pignard picks his own vegetables, fine herbs and berries to add them to some of the dishes served at the hotel’s restaurants. Even the barmen make savoury cocktails infused with fresh herbs from the garden.
The executive chef and his kitchen crew are proud to offer healthy products grown without chemicals. For the rest of their needs, the team goes to local producers, lowering their carbon footprint. By turning the roof into a garden, the hotel hopes to inspire the administrators at neighbouring tours to create islands of nature on high in downtown Montréal.
|